A truck driver at an underground mine in Queensland has sustained serious burns to their face, hands and chest from an explosion caused by the vehicle’s air-conditioning system, which was found to have been charged with hydrocarbon refrigerant. The incident happened on January 11 this year, while the worker was driving in the underground mine. Resources … Continue reading QLD mine truck driver injured by hydrocarbon refrigerant blast
A Flammable Refrigerants Review project being undertaken by Weir Legal & Consulting has found 143 different standards, regulations and laws relating to flammable refrigerants during a ‘stocktake’ of legal instruments that control the heating, ventilation, air-conditioning and refrigeration industries across every state and territory in Australia. Presenting the research results at a recent CCN Live conference … Continue reading Need for flammables licensing highlighted by ‘stocktake’ of standards, regulations and laws
The New Zealand Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment is developing new regulations that will require technicians to be licensed by WorkSafe if they work with flammable, toxic or very high operating pressure refrigerant gases in commercial and industrial refrigeration, heating or air-conditioning systems. These regulations are expected to be in place by mid-2021, with … Continue reading NZ developing new licensing regulations for flammable, toxic and high-pressure refrigerants
NEWS RELEASE For immediate release: Tuesday, November 19, 2019 Ground-breaking Australian research behind new automotive flammable refrigerants safety guide World-first study results in free guide to help automotive technicians work safely with flammable refrigerants GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA: A new guide on how to work safely on vehicles where it is known or suspected that flammable … Continue reading NEWS RELEASE: Automotive flammable refrigerants safety guide
VASA Vice-President Brett Meads delivered a talk to the Australian Road Transport Suppliers Association (ARTSA) conference about the causes and prevention of heavy vehicle fires in Sydney on August 15. Brett’s presentation provided an overview of the changes in refrigerants used in automotive AC applications, including the environmental drivers for these changes. Time was spent … Continue reading VASA VP Brett Meads outlines refrigerant risks to ARTSA Heavy Vehicle Fire conference in Sydney
A new guide on how to work safely on vehicles where it is known or suspected that flammable refrigerants may be present is now available for free download by VASA members and is essential reading. This document is the result of a groundbreaking project between Refrigerant Reclaim Australia, VASA and GHD Engineering to study the … Continue reading Groundbreaking Australian research behind new flammable refrigerants safety guide
Following the coronial inquest into a June 2014 hydrocarbon refrigerant explosion that killed 34 year-old Barry Purtell and 52 year-old Dave Lobb at the Rochester Hotel in Victoria, the state workplace health and safety authority has issued a safety alert regarding flammable refrigerants. Although evidence given at the inquest incorrectly blamed the use of an … Continue reading WorkSafe Victoria issues safety alert following fatal HC fire inquest
German brand sharing CO2 tech to accelerate automotive adoption After years of resistance, Mercedes-Benz parent company Daimler has finally decided to adopt R1234yf in some models, but only as a stepping-stone towards the range-wide rollout of cars with air conditioning systems using CO2 refrigerant (R744). The first R744-equipped models will be the high-end S-Class and … Continue reading Mercedes-Benz adopts R1234yf as CO2 stepping stone
There may be media-fuelled public resistance to R1234yf history in Germany – not to mention the refusal by Mercedes-Benz to adopt it and Volkswagen Group’s commitment to CO2 as a refrigerant – but government figures reveal that there are already half a million cars on German roads with the new gas coursing through their air … Continue reading 500,000 cars using R1234yf in Germany
Focus on ‘regulatory impost’ rather than rife lawbreaking Queensland Minister for Natural Resources and Mines Anthony Lynham has requested the Petroleum and Gas Inspectorate to set up a working group that will review the regulation of hydrocarbon refrigerants and find ways of “reducing the regulatory impost of compliance without compromising safety”. Minister Lynham wants the … Continue reading Spotlight on Queensland hydrocarbon refrigerant regulations
