English
7
Safety precautions
2-4. Presence of fi re extinguisher
•
If any hot work is to be conducted on the
refrigeration equipment or any associated
parts, appropriate fi re extinguishing equipment
shall be available at hand.
•
Have a dry powder or CO
2
fi re extinguisher
adjacent to the charging area.
2-5. No ignition sources
•
No person carrying out work in relation to a
refrigeration system which involves exposing
any pipe work that contains or has contained
fl ammable refrigerant shall use any sources of
ignition in such a manner that it may lead to the
risk of fi re or explosion. He/She must not be
smoking when carrying out such work.
•
All possible ignition sources, including cigarette
smoking, should be kept suffi ciently far away
from the site of installation, repairing, removing
and disposal, during which fl ammable
refrigerant can possibly be released to the
surrounding space.
•
Prior to work taking place, the area around
the equipment is to be surveyed to make sure
that there are no fl ammable hazards or ignition
risks.
•
“No Smoking” signs shall be displayed.
2-6. Ventilated area
•
Ensure that the area is in the open or that it is
adequately ventilated before breaking into the
system or conducting any hot work.
•
A degree of ventilation shall continue during the
period that the work is carried out.
•
The ventilation should safely disperse any
released refrigerant and preferably expel it
externally into the atmosphere.
2-7. Checks to the refrigeration equipment
•
Where electrical components are being
changed, they shall be fi t for the purpose and
to the correct specifi cation.
•
At all times the manufacturer’s maintenance
and service guidelines shall be followed.
•
If in doubt consult the manufacturer’s technical
department for assistance.
•
The following checks shall be applied to
installations using fl ammable refrigerants.
- The charge size is in accordance with
the room size within which the refrigerant
containing parts are installed.
- The ventilation machinery and outlets are
operating adequately and are not obstructed.
- If an indirect refrigerating circuit is being used,
the secondary circuit shall be checked for the
presence of refrigerant.
- Marking to the equipment continues to be
visible and legible. Markings and signs that
are illegible shall be corrected.
- Refrigeration pipe or components are
installed in a position where they are unlikely
to be exposed to any substance which may
corrode refrigerant containing components,
unless the components are constructed of
materials which are inherently resistant to
being corroded or are properly protected
against being so corroded.
2-8. Checks to electrical devices
•
Repair and maintenance to electrical
components shall include initial safety checks
and component inspection procedures.
•
Initial safety checks shall include but not limit
to:-
- That capacitors are discharged: this shall be
done in a safe manner to avoid possibility of
sparking.
- That there no live electrical components and
wiring are exposed while charging, recovering
or purging the system.
- That there is continuity of earth bonding.
•
At all times the manufacturer’s maintenance
and service guidelines shall be followed.
•
If in doubt consult the manufacturer’s technical
department for assistance.
•
If a fault exists that could compromise safety,
then no electrical supply shall be connected to
the circuit until it is satisfactorily dealt with.
•
If the fault cannot be corrected immediately
but it is necessary to continue operation, an
adequate temporary solution shall be used.
•
The owner of the equipment must be
informed or reported so all parties are advised
thereinafter.
3. Repairs to sealed components
•
During repairs to sealed components, all
electrical supplies shall be disconnected from
the equipment being worked upon prior to any
removal of sealed covers, etc.
•
If it is absolutely necessary to have an
electrical supply to equipment during servicing,
then a permanently operating form of leak
detection shall be located at the most critical
point to warn of a potentially hazardous
situation.
•
Particular attention shall be paid to the
following to ensure that by working on electrical
components, the casing is not altered in such a
way that the level of protection is affected.
This shall include damage to cables, excessive
number of connections, terminals not made
to original specifi cation, damage to seals,
incorrect fi tting of glands, etc.
•
Ensure that apparatus is mounted securely.
•
Ensure that seals or sealing materials have not
degraded such that they no longer serve the
purpose of preventing the ingress of fl ammable
atmospheres.
•
Replacement parts shall be in accordance with
the manufacturer’s specifi cations.
NOTE: The use of silicon sealant may inhibit the
effectiveness of some types of leak detection
equipment.
Intrinsically safe components do not have to be
isolated prior to working on them.
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