WorkSafe looking into incident after Ashburton College student suffers serious burns in class

WorkSafe is looking into an incident where an Ashburton College student was hospitalised with serious injuries after catching fire in class.

Ashburton College principal Ross Preece told the NZ Herald the Year 13 student was working in the school’s automotive workshop and was using a grinder at the time on Friday. He wasn’t wearing a protective apron and the student managed to set fire to his clothes, Preece said.

Preece was unable to provide an update on the student’s condition, but said “our thoughts are with the student and their family”.

“We are doing all we can to support everyone involved.”

College will be conducting a review to determine of the circumstances of the incident, while WorkSafe and the Ministry of Education had both been notified, said Preece.

A WorkSafe New Zealand spokesperson said WorkSafe was making initial enquiries, but “this is not an investigation at this stage”.

The Ministry of Education was aware the school was undertaking a full review of the incident, Hautū (leader) Te Tai Runga (south) Nancy Bell said.

She said the college was responsible for undertaking the review and WorkSafe was the agency responsible for any investigation. “The WorkSafe report will be provided to the school and not the Ministry. We are available to work with the school if needed to address any issues that arise from the review and/or report.”