Explosion Prevention
If a laboratory contains an explosion hazard, appropriate protection should be provided for the occupants of the laboratory and adjoining areas by one or more of the following:
- Limiting amounts of hydrogen used in experiments.
- Explosion-resistant walls or barricades around the lab.
- Remote control of equipment to minimize personnel exposure.
- Sufficient deflagration venting in outside walls to maintain their integrity.
- Conducting experiments in a detached or isolated building or outdoors.
The designer should provide as much explosion venting as possible on outside walls. The designer should also have the blow-off panels on those walls deploy at as low a pressure as is practical without frequent nuisance deployments due to wind loads and other frequent disturbances.
Laboratories where hydrogen is used should have installed hydrogen gas detectors or combustible gas detectors calibrated for hydrogen. See Leak Detection.