The University of Hawaii is facing more than $100,000 in fine after the Hawaii Occupational Safety and Health Office (HIOSH) discovered that it has violated a number of safety violations which resulted in an explosion that injured a researcher in March this year. The explosion happened at the university's Manoa campus which is is part of the Hawaii Institute of Energy.
Thea Ekins-Coward, a researcher for the Hawaii Energy Institute, was preparing a gas mixture which consists of hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and oxygen when an electrostatic discharge was released in the tank and ignited the mixture. The mixture is reportedly used to feed bacteria and to produce biofuels and bioplastics.
According to the investigation issued by the University of California Center for Laboratory Safety conducted in July, the origin of the explosion was a digital pressure gauge from a 49-liter tank.
The investigation also revealed that the university's employees did not have proper security training nor does it enforce strict use of proper safety gear. Aside from that, the university also did not have a proper exit route, failure to comply with safety procedures, and did not make any improvements to reduce occupational hazards. The Hawaii Occupational Safety and Health Office has found the university guilty of 15 safety violations in all.
The HIOSH has ordered the university to pay around $7,700 for each violation it committed as well as fix the said violations until October 21. After the incident, the university has decided to close down all its laboratories that have highly flammable and volatile elements until they have improved their safety. The university also asked the HIOSH if it can clarify and make adjustments on the citations.
"Safety officers and leadership have been working diligently to further strengthen the culture of safety on the Manoa campus and foster an environment where hazard recognition and risk assessment are the standard of care for all activities," according to an official statement issued by the university.
