scope:

Description of Driving Event:

A small plastic vial stored in liquid nitrogen burst while laboratory workers were inventorying and transferring vials from one dewar to another. During the transfer a vial burst, causing superficial cuts on the hands of two laboratory workers.

The vial manufacturer had updated catalog and shipping documents to alert customers that the vials were not recommended for storage in the liquid phase of cyrogenically stored nitrogen. Instead, the manufacturer recommends that the vials be stored only in the gaseous phase of cryogenic nitrogen. The seal on the vials is not adequate to protect against seepage of liquid into the vial which could then burst following removal from the liquid unless adequate precautions were taken to allow the liquid to evaporate and escape slowly.

Workers were not wearing the selected PPE at the time of the mishap. The PPE had been removed because it was too bulky to permit manipulation of the small vials. This directly exposed the personnel to low temperature hazards as well as the burst hazard from the cryogen stored vials.