I up

heating up
Follow Up to “Safety Battles”
I
n my February column titled “Safety Battles,” I included an
email from RSES Member Terry Goodrich about one of his
employees who had been severely burned when working on a
condensing unit for a milk cooler at an Amish farm in Northern
New York. Suspecting the unit had been topped off with a
flammable refrigerant, a sample had been taken for testing.
I followed up with Terry, President, Goodrich Refrigeration
Inc., to ask what the test results of the gas chromatograph
were, to which he replied with the following:
“The fire investigator sent the sample to Great Lakes Labs
in Michigan for gas chromatography testing. The lab confirmed our suspicions that the refrigeration system contained
propane. They did not provide any further details as to the
concentration or source. I wonder if it originally contained
Mercaptan odorant and the odorant was changed or eliminated over time by the system or removed by the filter-drier.
Our employee stated that he did not detect any typical gas
odor, and neither did we when we opened the system at the
milk tank. The fire investigator noted several small cylinders
of ‘Coleman’ propane scattered around the site. He speculated
that it may have been a do-it-yourself job. The owner offered
no comment on this suggestion.
“On a positive note, our man Blake is back on the job
after only missing a couple of weeks work. His hands are
still sensitive to cold, but continuing to improve. We are
thankful that it was not worse. All of our trucks are now
equipped with small, inexpensive flammable gas detectors
and a small ventilation fan and hose, like the type used in
manholes. This amounts to less than a $500 investment per
Technical Review Committee
Chairman Loren “Shorty” Shuck, CMS;
Bill Artis, LEED AP BD&C,
Daikin Applied NY;
Raymond Clary, CMS,
Colonial Webb Contractors;
Dave Demma, CM,
United Refrigeration Inc.;
Chuck Otto, D&C Consulting LLC;
Andy Schoen, CM, Sanhua;
Jeffrey Smith, CMS, J.A. Smith Htg & AC;
Wesley Taylor, CMS,
Mechanical Systems Consultant, LLC;
Steve Wright, CMS, Wright Brothers Inc.
Robert D. Casey
Tel: 847-223-5225 x10
Mobile: 847-722-0250
Email: [email protected]
ADVERTISING SALES &
PROGRAMS
Casey & Associates
P.O. Box 149
Grayslake, IL 60030
Fax: 847-223-5281
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REPRINT SALES
Casey & Associates
P.O. Box 149
Grayslake, IL 60030
Tel: 847-223-5225
Fax: 847-223-5281
w w w. r s e s j o u r n a l . co m
vehicle. I continue to be baffled by the availability of flammable refrigerants online and the danger this represents to
people in our industry.”
Getting information like this out to our readers is important any time of year, and I am glad Goodrich opted to share
the details of this frightening situation with us. His investment in flammable gas detectors and small ventilation fans
and hoses for his trucks to keep other technicians safe was
a wise one. Anyone working in the field should consider a
proactive safety measurement like this. Despite the industry’s
best intentions to keep consumers aware of the dangers of
saving money by topping off their systems themselves, with
aftermarket products readily available for the DIYers, there is
a likely probability that this could happen to you.
I want to profusely thank Terry Goodrich and Blake for
allowing me to share this story. My hope is that everyone
pauses for a moment in the heat of their days (literally) and
remember these stories as you enter the cooling season startup.
While you begin to fulfill planned service agreements for your
customers, keep your safety your number-one priority!
If you have a story you would like to share with readers,
don’t hesitate to reach out.
Lori A. Schiavo
Publisher/Editor
Theresa Clendening
Tel: 847-223-5225 x15
Email: [email protected]
Jennifer Drevline
Tel: 847-223-5225 x11
Email: [email protected]
Susan Sammons
Tel: 847-223-5225 x14
Email: [email protected]
Customer Service
For information, call 847-297-6464 or fax 847-297-5038.
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