In June 2014 a qualified diesel mechanic, 39, died from burns and blunt force trauma when a refrigeration compressor blew up during his work. He and another gentleman, a boilermaker by trade who worked as a welder offered to move the refrigeration compressor from the cellar in order to assist. While they were in the cellar working on removal of the refrigeration compressor, a gas explosion occurred in the cellar causing injuries to both of them and resulting in their deaths. As no one else was in the cellar at the time of the explosion, how the explosion occurred is to be gleaned from circumstantial evidence and from the evidence of forensic and other experts set out in some detail below.
For the deceased, anatomical findings included blast injuries of lung (contusions, lacerations and parenchymal haemorrhage); left pneumothorax; bilateral haemothoraces; mediastinal emphysema; 40-50% total body surface area partial thickness bums; less than 1 % total body surface area full thickness burns and inhalational injury (tracheal and bronchial mucosa! erythema and oedema, burns to nose , mouth and face); anterior pericardia! contusion and no significant natural disease.
The compressor at the center of this investigation was located in the cellar which was approximately five meters square. While the cellar had no windows, it had cellar doors which led to the laneway, and could also be accessed via stairs from the ground level bar of the hotel. The compressor was a multi-appliance unit that operated the cool room, the bottle fridge in the bar and the glass chiller.
Prior to the family taking over management of the hotel, the compressor, and other plant had been serviced in 2009-2010 by a Refrigeration & Electrical Service contractor. The refrigerant added by the contractor was SP34M which is described as a non-flammable non-toxic gas containing greater than 95% 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane, less than 1.95% propane, less than 1.95% butane and other ingredients determined to be non-hazardous making up the balance. At the inquest, the contractor testified that this was the same type of non-flammable refrigerant as SP34E except that the latter contained ethane whereas SP34M contained methane.