The Department of Labour Inspection draws the attention of persons involved in the maintenance of refrigeration systems to an explosion of an air conditioner condensing unit, known as a "compressor" (Figure 1), which resulted in the serious injury of a self-employed person during the process of adding refrigerant gas.
Replenishing refrigeration systems by adding refrigerant gas (such as R32, R600a, etc.) involves serious accident risks due to the hazardous nature of the gases. The gases are contained in pressurised cylinders and, according to the Safety Data Sheets (SDS), are classified as 'extremely flammable gases' and 'may cause an explosion if heated'. The relevant marking is usually shown on the cylinder of the gases. Therefore this work:
- Must be carried out by trained/trained and qualified persons.
- Each condensing unit ("compressors") must have a local isolator to switch off the electricity to it, for the purpose of safely carrying out the maintenance work.
- Maintainers of such systems should be aware of the hazardous properties of these gases, based on the BOD. The BOD contains information on the chemical composition, potential hazards, safe use, storage of the gases, etc. This information is made available to professional users, in Greek, by the representative/supplier of the substances.
Figure 1: Air conditioner explosion during refrigerant gas addition
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