OAKVILLE, Ont. (Feb. 18, 2000) — The death of a Toronto truck driver could have been prevented if basic safety precautions had been followed in the handling of a potentially volatile load of plastic foam, an Ontario coroner’s jury said yesterday.

John Koleros, 44, suffered severe burns when he lit a match to look into a darkened trailer that contained a partial load of polyethylene foam. Flammable isobutane gas, which is used to make the foam, had built up inside the vehicle. Koleros died two weeks later.

The jurors issued 16 recommendations to tighten standards for the manufacture, shipment and handling of the material, which is used as packing material and flotation for life jackets. They called for the use of properly ventilated trailers, danger labels on vehicles carrying volatile products, better workplace training of workers, and written records of trailers carrying the foam.

They also criticized safety procedures at the trucking company, Future Fast Freight, where the driver was burned. Koleros believed the trailer was empty when he opened the trailer doors and had no way of knowing what was inside.

Jurors also said smoking near the foam should be prohibited, and recommended the use of flashlights rather than open flames in dangerous environments.

Isobutane gas is used to create the bubbles that give plastic foam its buoyancy. The isobutane typically is allowed to dissipate before leaving the factory.