Only 20% of Ammonia Refrigeration Systems Comply with Current Legislation

Leading refrigeration consultant, Stephen Gill, found that 80% of food manufacturing sites with ammonia refrigeration systems in the UK fail to comply with DSEAR and ATEX legislation.

The survey of 100 systems also showed that nearly a third of sites had none or poor risk assessments for their ammonia refrigeration systems.

In 2003, the ATEX 137 Directive became law and it states that all companies with ‘hazardous’ operating areas, which include those with ammonia refrigeration plant, must classify production areas into zones. In addition, they must then carry out risk assessments on their employees and plant. The surveyed showed that most ammonia refrigeration systems has been ‘by-passed’ because they were considered ‘too specialist’.

Further health and safety problems appeared in the survey including a poor understanding of a company’s duties concerning Pressure Systems Safety Regulations 2000 (PSSR) at work. In many cases, the understanding of their duties was missing.

Many ammonia refrigeration systems operators found understanding the supporting legislative standards difficult. The survey also found that many contractors maintaining the refrigeration systems gave out either inaccurate or confusing advice to their customers.

A lack of knowledge or understanding of the legislation for maintaining ammonia refrigeration systems is no excuse in the eyes of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and insurance companies. The DSEAR/ATEX requirements focus on the safety of people at work. With changes in environmental legislation, an increasing number of ammonia-based systems are in use.

Stephen Gill said:

“We are fortunate in this country to have a good safety record when it comes to ammonia refrigeration systems. Incidents are, thankfully, few and far between so we were surprised by the high number of sites with inadequate or inappropriate safety procedures in place”.

Find out more about ensuring your ammonia refrigeration systems complies with the law from Stephen Gill: info@sgaconsultants.co.uk

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