18
EN
Servicing
• Any person who is involved with working on or breaking into a
refrigerant circuit should hold a current valid certificate from an
industry-accredited assessment authority, which authorizes their
competence to handle refrigerants safely in accordance with an
industry recognized assessment specification.
• Servicing shall only be performed as recommended by the equipment
manufacturer. Maintenance and repair requiring the assistance of
other skilled personnel shall be carried out under the supervision of
the person competent in the use of flammable refrigerants.
Checks to the area
Prior to beginning work on systems containing flammable refrigerants,
safety checks are necessary to ensure that the risk of ignition is
minimised. For repair to the refrigerating system, the following
precautions shall be complied with prior to conducting work on the
system.
Work procedure
Work shall be undertaken under a controlled procedure so as to minimise
the risk of a flammable gas or vapour being present while the work is
being performed.
General work area
All maintenance staff and others working in the local area shall be
instructed on the nature of work being carried out. Work in confined
spaces shall be avoided. The area around the workspace shall be
sectioned off. Ensure that the conditions within the area have been made
safe by control of flammable material.
Checking for presence of refrigerant
The area shall be checked with an appropriate refrigerant detector prior
to and during work, to ensure the technician is aware of potentially
flammable atmospheres. Ensure that the leak detection equipment being
used is suitable for use with flammable refrigerants, i.e. non-sparking,
adequately sealed or intrinsically safe.
Presence of fire extinguisher
If any hot work is to be conducted on the refrigeration equipment or
any associated parts, appropriate fire extinguishing equipment shall be
available to hand. Have a dry powder or CO
2
fire extinguisher adjacent to
the charging area.
To Next Page
Loading...