KINGSTON, Ont. – A coroner’s inquest will be held into the death of an Ottawa teenager who died after an explosion at his high school shop class.

Eric Leighton, 18, died on May 26 of last year after suffering severe injuries in the blast at Mother Teresa High School.

The inquest will examine the circumstances surrounding Leighton’s death and the jury could make recommendations aimed at preventing similar deaths.

Leighton’s parents had been pushing for an inquest to help avert a similar tragedy.

In August, the Ottawa Catholic District School Board was fined $275,000 for a violation of the Occupational Health and Safety Act that resulted in Leighton’s death.

Details regarding the date, location and presiding coroner of the inquest are to be announced later.

The inquest was announced Monday by Dr. Roger Skinner, who is the regional supervising coroner.

At the time of the explosion students were making barbecues out of the barrels, and the barrel Leighton was cutting with a hand grinder exploded in a blast that was felt throughout the school.

Five others, including the male teacher, sustained minor injuries but were sent to hospital as a precaution because of the concussive effects of the explosion.

Leighton’s parents said earlier this month they want to know what led to their son’s death and whether the teacher did his “due diligence.”

“We just need answers to questions that we still have that nobody seems to want to step up and tell us,” said Sheri Leighton before the inquest was announced.

The Ministry of Labour investigation found that the barrel the teacher was using had been washed out with a flammable cleaner.

Investigators discovered it had been stored with its caps closed prior to the class project, allowing flammable cleaning vapours to accumulate inside.

The investigation also found that the school board did not have adequate procedures in place to ensure hot work on drums or containers could be carried out safely.

Pat Leighton said he was concerned that the teacher didn’t need approval for the project, which seemed like an odd assignment for a transportation class. The teacher should have also had more knowledge of the products he was using, he said.