The following recommended actions were identified:
Reemphasize the current lab management policies and practices on how process changes are evaluated for direct/indirect impacts on the process.
Reinforce with lab workers the expectations for bringing issues and concerns to management's immediate attention for evaluation of reporting needs.
Increase the purge gas flow rate to ensure complete purging of the system.
Extend the inert gas purging time of the reactor system before the run and use oxygen chemical indicator strips to indicate the quality of inert atmosphere in the enclosed system.
After the run, extend the inert gas purging time of the installed glove bag above the chamber lid and use a high purge gas flow rate.
Use oxygen chemical indicator strips to indicate the quality of inert atmosphere in the glove bag before opening the collection chamber.
The importance of purging hydrogen piping and equipment is discussed in the Lessons Learned Corner on this website.
Additional discussion about working with reactive metal-hydride materials in the laboratory can be found in the Lessons Learned Corner on this website and in the Hydrogen Safety Best Practices Manual.