5
S
PECIALIZED
P
RECAUTIONS AND
G
UIDELINES FOR
S
ERVICING
U
NITS
U
SING
R290 R
EFRIGERANT:
Qualification of Service Personnel/Workers:
Required qualification of working personnel for maintenance, service and repair operations. Every working procedure that affects
safety means shall only be carried out by competent persons.
Examples for such working procedures are:
· Breaking into the refrigerating circuit.
· Opening of sealed components.
· Opening of ventilated enclosures.
Information on Servicing:
· Prior to beginning work on systems containing
FLAMMABLE REFRIGERANTS
, safety checks are necessary to ensure that the risk of
ignition is minimized.
· For repair to the
REFRIGERATING SYSTEM
, above steps shall be completed prior to conducting work on the system.
Work Procedure:
Work shall be performed under a controlled procedure so as to minimize the risk of a flammable gas or vapor 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.
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 toxic or flammable atmospheres.
Ensure that the leak detection equipment being used is suitable for use with all applicable refrigerants, i.e. non-sparking, adequately
sealed or intrinsically safe.
Presence of Fire Extinguisher:
I
f any hot work is to be conducted on the refrigerating equipment or any associated parts, appropriate fire extinguishing equipment
shall be available to hand. Have a dry chemical or CO
2
fire extinguisher adjacent to the charging area.
No Ignition Sources:
No person carrying out work in relation to a
REFRIGERATING SYSTEM
which involves exposing any pipe work shall use any sources of
ignition in such a manner that it may lead to the risk of fire or explosion.
All possible ignition sources, including cigarette smoking, should be kept sufficiently far away from the site of installation, repairing,
removing and disposal, during which 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 flammable hazards or ignition risks. “No Smoking”
signs
shall be displayed.
Ventilated Area:
Ensure that the area is in the open or that it is adequately ventilated before breaking into the refrigeration 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.
