User Safety Advisory

April 2009 - Glass Vials

A user was injured when a glass, crimp-top vial that was used to transport air sensitive solutions under liquid nitrogen burst while it was being warmed to room temperature. This incident identified a significant safety issue with these types of sample holders and the procedures for their use.

Until the accident has been investigated and mitigations put in place, glass crimp-top vials should not be used. If you intend to bring cryogenically cooled samples in any type of vial, please be sure to identify it as a potential hazard on your beam time request forms. Please contact the SSRL Safety Office if you have any questions.

We also want to use this as an opportunity to reinforce safety at SSRL by asking you to review your experiments to identify any potential safety hazards so that the appropriate controls can be put in place. This includes the need for personal protective equipment (safety glasses, gloves etc.) and procedures. If you need any assistance do not hesitate to contact the SSRL Safety Office.