This is a common question we get when we are working at facilities where there is a mechanical refrigeration system…
Do my refrigeration technicians have to be “qualified electrical workers”?
Because that question is so broad, we always answer “Yes”, based on our experience around these types of processes, but it depends and here are the details of the “depends”.
In traditional manufacturing environments we tend to have “production” and “maintenance” personnel and these two groups are profoundly different in what they do and the hazards they face. In all of the ammonia refrigeration processes we have worked in, it seems these two roles are always merged, meaning that the same worker who starts a compressor very well may the same person who changes out the compressor motor or maybe even does the entire rebuild. It is an interesting dynamic that occurs in the ammonia refrigeration profession, but one which I have always been impressed with. These ammonia techs are like “race car drivers”… they know how to drive the car like a pro and how to build/fix every aspect of their race car.
But it is this dual role that places them into the “Qualified Electrical Worker” category. What does this mean?
Let’s use OSHA minimum electrical safety requirements as our building block in just what would an ammonia refrigeration technician needs: