A new approach for explosion accident prevention in chemical research laboratories at universities

Koji Fukuoka,Masao Furusho

doi:10.1038/s41598-022-07099-2

Abstract

Over the years, many accidents have occurred during chemical experiments in laboratories around the world. However, the methods of investigating and analysing accidents that have occurred at universities have not been consolidated, and the lessons learned from these accidents have not been shared. In this study, accident investigation reports of explosions in chemistry laboratories at two universities were analysed with an analysis tool based on the software/hardware/environment/liveware (SHEL) model. As a result, university accidents were classified as epidemiological models, and it became clear that the contributing factors to the accidents, which were investigated and analysed using the SHEL model, can be used as learning experiences and therefore applied for the prevention of accidents at other universities. Universities around the world need to come together to formulate research and analysis methods, rules for creating accident reports, etc. and provide a place for sharing information that will enable them to make use of the lessons learned from all kinds of accidents.

Highlights

IntroductionMany accidents have occurred during chemical experiments in laboratories around the world
Over the years, many accidents have occurred during chemical experiments in laboratories around the world
In terms of accident prevention, the difference between universities and maritime/aviation fields is that international rules pertain to the accident investigations of aircraft and ships, and international organizations, such as the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and International Maritime Organization (IMO), stipulate accident investigations and analysis methods and their rules, gather data and disseminate the learnings obtained from the data globally[6,7]

Summary

Introduction

Many accidents have occurred during chemical experiments in laboratories around the world. From 2009 to 2016, the author worked as an accident investigator for the Japan Transport Safety Board of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan, conducting investigations and analyses of many ship accidents in Japan and around the world and creating accident investigation reports Afterwards, he was involved in safety-related work as an emergency response coordinator and manager of the Occupational Health and Safety Section at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST). He came to learn about accidents occurring at universities across the world, which have killed numerous faculty members and students; 126 accidents[4] related to chemical substances occurred in laboratories in educational and research institutions, including universities in the United States, between January 2001 and July 2018. Accident models are classified into three types, namely, sequential models, epidemiological models and systemic models, and the classification depends on whether there is a link between the cause and effect, the characteristics of the accident occurrence mechanism

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Discussion

Conclusion