Anyhow, of any liquid spilled, I can't think of one that would make less of a mess than liquid helium. If it was just a leak, not some catastrophic failure, I doubt there would have been any liquid helium around at all; it would just rapidly evaporate.

There's a 1,000 liter tank of liquid nitrogen outside our lab and it doesn't bother me. Overall, a lot safer than a tank farm of high-pressure cylinders.

__________________
If they can get you asking the wrong questions, they don't have to worry about the answers.