ethanol oxide must be kept in an explosion-proof refrigerator (4±1°C) and double-lock. Based on ACS, the capacity of the container must not exceed 2L and the degree of filling must be 75% or lower. A 2016 University of California lab accident study revealed $420,000 in loss from an explosion with a routine refrigerator as a storage container for 3.5L of ethanol oxide, prompting NFPA 704 to double the amount of ventilation space to ≥12 times/hour (wind speed 0.5m/s).
The operational standard requires nitrile gloves (thickness ≥0.5mm) and Class A protective clothing (material impedance >5000Ω). Experiments have shown that 0.1mL leakage of ethanol oxide on exposed skin can cause second-degree burns in 15 seconds. The surface wind speed must be 0.4-0.6m/s, and UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) information shows that vapor concentration can be up to 32% of the lower explosive limit (LEL) if the surface wind speed is below 0.3m/s (LEL of ethanol oxide is 3% by volume).
Leakage treatment has a three-stage response mechanism: less than 5mL leakage is treated with diatomite adsorption (mass ratio 1:1), the amount of neutralizer (10% sodium bicarbonate solution) is 1.5 times the leakage, and the reaction time is controlled within 15 minutes. In the MIT accident of 2019, power supply was not separated by time in managing a leak of 380mL and resulted in an ignition energy flash of steam (0.06mJ only) and hence a 72-hour laboratory shutdown.
Implement pH neutralization process for disposing waste, neutralize the waste liquid to 6.5-7.5 and put it into HDPE container (thickness of walls ≥2mm), add 50g activated carbon adsorption to each liter of waste liquid. As for the requirements from EPA, compressive strength of containers for transportation should be ≥200kPa, explosion-proof tanks are installed on transport vehicles (pressure 1.5MPa), and single volume for transport should be ≤20L (concentration ≤5%).
The training system should include quarterly walkthroughs (90 minutes each) and VR simulation testing (pass rate ≥95%), and OSHA data show that complete training can reduce accident rates by 67%. For equipment maintenance, the gas detector is monthly calibrated (error <±2%LEL), and explosion-proof refrigerator is pressure-resistant tested every year (keep five cycles of -20°C to 50°C without deforming).
The investment in installing this system includes: initial equipment investment of 85,000 yuan (ventilation system 32,000 yuan + safety equipment 18,000 yuan), annual maintenance of 12,000 yuan, but reduces accident compensation by 83% (refer to data of Stanford University laboratory for 5 years). Highlight research on intelligent monitoring system development, in-line real-time concentration sensor (sensitivity detection limit 0.1ppm) and automatic shutoff valve linkage response time reduced to 0.8 seconds.