Explosions

The basic principle of explosion protection is the same worldwide. It is the prevention of flammable materials (gas, vapor, mist, or dust) in dangerous quantities, air (and oxygen), and sources of ignition, all occurring at the same time. Areas where the occurrence of explosive mixtures of flammable materials and air cannot be prevented by applying primary explosion protection require special measures for the prevention of ignition sources to be taken.

In a heterogeneous environment like UCSC, there are literally hundreds of possible explosion scenarios, from equipment to chemical. Laboratories are the obvious place to expect explosive events, and there have been at least four such incidents in the past ten years, including a centrifuge and a reactive chemical accident involving sodium. Please ensure that your emergency procedures are up to date, all departmental personnel are trained on them, and you employ the best possible safety practices when working with or near any material or machine that presents an explosive hazard. This includes the use of hot work permits in areas near hazardous materials storage, and using intrinsicaly safe equipment in hazardous atmospheres.

Lyophilizer explosion in Sinsheimer, March 2001

Centrifuge explosion at Cornell University

Gas cylinder explosion in fume hood at University of Nevada at Reno

Basics of explosion protection from R. Stahl, Inc.

Explosion prevention from Control Engineering Online

Dust explosion prevention basics from Powder and Bulk Engineering