Missing gas cylinder from AU found at the supplier
A gas cylinder with dangerous contents from Biological and Chemical Engineering was reported missing to the police in December, but it turns out it wasn’t stolen. Instead, the supplier accidentally took the filled gas cylinder back without registering it in the system.
Disclaimer: This text was translated using machine translation / AI and post-edited by Maria Nielsen Pedersen
Shortly before Christmas, the East Jutland Police announced that a cylinder containing the gas carbon monoxide, which can be lethal, had gone missing from a locked room at the Department of Biological and Chemical Engineering. The police issued an alert for the cylinder and warned against opening it, as its contents are both flammable and deadly to inhale.
However, the cylinder has now been found, and it turns out it was never in the wrong hands. Instead, the supplier accidentally picked up the filled cylinder, and because they forgot to register it in the system, the department thought the cylinder was still on site. The department knew the cylinder was full because the project that had purchased it hadn’t used it yet.
“The supplier didn’t register that they took the cylinder, so it didn’t show up in our records. When we initially asked, they said no because it wasn’t in their system either. But when we followed up, they found it with them after all. This is a very rare occurrence” says Lars Ottosen, head of department of Biological and Chemical Engineering.
Head of department: Unclear how the situation arose
At the beginning of January, the department was still searching for the cylinder. Lars Ottosen explained that he had a theory that something might have gone wrong with the supplier. He is now relieved that it can be confirmed the cylinder wasn't taken with malicious intent, nor was its disappearance due to careless handling of the cylinders. However, he acknowledges that some questions remain unanswered.
“We are left with some uncertainty about how the situation - that the supplier took it back - arose. If we were to reflect on our own practices, it might need to be clearer for someone less experienced which cylinders are empty and which are not. We’ll look into improving the labelling to make it more obvious to the supplier which cylinders need to be picked up,” says Lars Ottosen.
The head of department explains that it was a two-litre cylinder, whereas the department usually handles larger cylinders. The challenge with smaller cylinders is that it’s harder to tell by feel or sound whether they are full or empty.
“We usually manage this well, and it’s typically not a problem. It's hard to explain why this happened. This mistake isn't a safety concern but an operational one. It's a waste of resources when mistakes like this occur. But it happened, so we're looking into it,” says Lars Ottosen.
Police: Had to take it seriously
The East Jutland Police issued the alert on December 20th, warning against opening the cylinder if anyone had come across it. However, this warning is no longer relevant. Police commissioner Jens Rønberg from the East Jutland Police emphasises in the daily report from January 14th that the police had to take the situation seriously.
“Of course, it’s a relief that the cylinder has now been 'found' and that it never fell into the wrong hands. Still, we had to take the situation seriously and warn against anyone unaware of its contents from opening it, due to the dangers involved. The East Jutland Police now considers the case closed and will not take any further action,” says Jens Rønberg.