Explosion in a university laboratory

The explosion occurred at the second floor of university building, where a postdoc researcher was conducting a chemical experiment using hydrogen gas in the laboratory.
First a chemical fire started in the laboratory, initiated by the tert-butyllithium ((CH3)3CLi) stored in the lab. The fire involved a compressed hydrogen steel cylinder, 2-3 metre far away. From post-accident investigation, it appeared that the cylinder failed from the bottom, after the explosion only the top half of the cylinder was left intact. This may indicate an explosion initiated by over-pressurisation due to increase temperature. The strong shock wave from the explosion ignited other flammable substances in the laboratory.
The windows of the laboratory were blown out, and the balcony guardrails fell off. The outer walls of the neighbouring floors were blackened.

The INITIATING CAUSE was a fire initiated by tert-butyllithium (although the sources do not explain the reason of the start of the fire).
The CONTRIBUTING CAUSE was the involvement of a compressed hydrogen bottle in the fire, its explosion, and the further escalation of the fire to other flammable materials.
The ROOT CAUSE was the wrong management of hazardous materials (storage, handling). Laboratory safety management was not in place and the students' safety awareness was weak.

compressed hydrogen cylinder

DESCRIPTION OF THE SUBSTANCE INVOLVED
tert-Butyllithium: (CH3)3CLi, is an organolithium compound, with applications in organic synthesis. It is a pyrophoric substance, and therefore it would be plausible to assume that the start of the fire was the wrong handling of the substance, which entered in contact with the air.

One fatality. The windows of the laboratory were damaged in the explosion; iron cabinets and other furnishings in the laboratory were affected due to damaged windows downstairs. Several neighbouring rooms were also affected, with glass broken to varying degrees

The Court started an investigation

Teachers and students in and around the building were evacuated; the flame was quickly extinguished; because of the presence of harmful chemicals in the building, the responders measured and detected no harmful gases on the scene two hours after the explosion.

(i) A proper risk assessment of all laboratory aspects, such a storage and handling of hazardous substances, is critical to reach a minimum level of safety. This is even more important when different typed of hazards are present simultaneously in the laboratory, such as pyrophoric substances which ignite spontaneously in air and flammable, compressed gases. For example, modern laboratory practices do not allow anymore the placement of compressed flammable gases inside the laboratory space.
(ii) Safety awareness and the knowledge of the specific risks involved in laboratory experiments is often lacking in students. This could have to do with the limited training and information received, or with the nature of experimental activities, which have seldom a repetitive character and therefore they are difficult to be regulated and standardised in consolidated procedures (SOP = standard operating procedure). Therefore, a constant supervision by more experienced personnel is required, preferably by a permanent lab manager with the required technical competences.