Hydrogen leak in a chemical laboratory

Hydrogen as carrier gas was provided to a reactor gas chromatograph by several compressed hydrogen bottles. The bottles emptied rapidly, but the loss of carrier gas could only be detected when the gas storage pressure fell to a level to stop the flow to the chromatographer.

Later on, the leak was identified on the gas connection.

The INITIATING CAUSE was an instrumentation connection with a 'serious leak'.
A ROOT CAUSE is not given. However, the failing to detect hydrogen and the quick emptying of the bottles highlights a lack of safety design of the laboratory and of effective safety procedures.

chromatographer, compressed hydrogen storage

In this event, a non-negligible amount of hydrogen was released in the laboratory without further consequences.
A chromatographer using hydrogen gas as a carrier is usually equipped with an internal safety sensor. However, this leak occurred outside on the line to the chromatograph housing, so that the internal gas detector could not detect the leak.

Nothing is known on the laboratory assets and its safety measures, such as the presence of forced ventilation, fume hoods and hydrogen safety sensors. If the latter were deployed, they were clearly not in the right place to detect this leak.
It can also be assumed that hydrogen could have formed a flammable mixture inside the laboratory and that an ignition source could have more serious consequences.
The fact that the leak was not detected until the storage was almost empty implies a lack of effective hydrogen detection in the laboratory. Moreover, a quick emptying of compressed hydrogen gas bottles should have been easily notices by the laboratory personnel, if the right procedure would have been in place and followed.