Here is an unfortunate incident that draws our attention to operating elevating equipment inside refrigerated spaces. This incident also demonstrates the increased hazards to workers working within these elevated devices, as their means of egress, should there be a chemical release, is GREATLY compromised. Lastly, we should NOT lose sight of the fact that this young man was NOT working ON the refrigeration system; he was building a wall, and this placed him between the new wall, and a ceiling hung evaporator (e.g., working inside the battery limits of the process) …
A cold storage food distributor was handed a $45,000 fine and a $2900 costs penalty following severe ammonia gas burns to a contract worker. The company pleaded guilty to failing to provide and maintain a safe workplace where contractors were not exposed to hazards. On 11 December 2014, during the construction of a dividing wall within a large cold storage room, a contractor, was sprayed in the face with ammonia liquid and gas as it was released from a purge valve. He suffered severe chemical burns to his eyes, face and severe internal respiratory damage. The purge valve was part of a live, forced air cooler unit suspended from the ceiling. He was operating a scissor lift at height, within a small restricted space. As he maneuvered the lift, it struck the valve on the unit, releasing the pressurized ammonia.
The WorkSafe Commissioner said today the company knew the chemical was in the vicinity of the works and had not advised the contractor worker or their workers about the hazards or the risks.
This recent accident reminds me of a 2015 NH3 fatality at a fertilizer manufacturer in Canada when two workers were doing some work on an ammonia tank when a mobile lift struck a valve on the tank, which released ammonia. One worker, a 49-year-old man, died from his injuries. The second worker suffered minor injuries but was released later that day.
Source: https://www.commerce.wa.gov.au/announcements/serious-chemical-burns-result-47900-penalty-principal-employer-rand-transport
Source: https://chatnewstoday.ca/article/557249/trial-set-company-charged-2015-workplace-death