Do you run a company specializing in refrigeration systems?
In search of a health and safety risk assessment tailored to your activity?
Do you need a pre-filled assessment to save you hours of work?
Want to be in compliance with safety regulations?
 
Our Health and Safety Risk Assessment is designed to meet your needs with:
→ A professional risk assessment specific to refrigeration engineers.
→ Risk prevention proposals for refrigeration workers.
→ The integration of risks linked to the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic.
 
All this in an easily editable Excel format, allowing you to make personalized updates on your own.
 
FEATURES OF THE HEALTH AND SAFETY RISK ASSESSMENT 
 
This 5-page Excel file includes:
A Cover Page
A Company Information page
A presentation of the Risk Assessment Methodology used.
An occupational risks assessment tailored to your sector of activity.
A risk prevention schedule with all the different safety measures.

It contains 40 occupational risk situations classified into 5 work units:
Installation / Maintenance / Repair of refrigeration systems
Road travel
Customer contact
Working environment
Secretarial / Administrative
 
☑ Complies with the employer's obligation to assess risks
(Regulation 3 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulation 1999)
☑ Adheres to the General Principles of Prevention
(Schedule 1 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulation 1999)
☑ Takes into account good practice and pitfalls in risk assessment
(Report RR151 from the Health and Safety Executive)
 
EXCERPTS FROM THE HEALTH AND SAFETY RISK ASSESSMENT 
 
Risks associated with hydrofluorocarbon refrigerants: Apart from chillers that sometimes run on ammonia or CO₂, most conventional refrigeration systems use hydrofluorocarbons as their refrigerant. Among them, two compounds are particularly common: R32 (difluoromethane) and R410-A (composed of 50% R32 and 50% pentafluoroethane R125). These refrigerant gases are non-toxic, but can be hazardous in certain situations. Risks associated with the inhalation of hydrofluorocarbons will only arise in the event of a major leak in an enclosed space without air renewal. While inhalation of small quantities of hydrofluorocarbons has no effect on health, when they are present in large quantities in a confined space, they replace oxygen and become asphyxiating. As these gases are colorless and odorless, their presence is undetectable without the use of any apparatus. Inhalation of small quantities of hydrofluorocarbons (R410 and R32) is not a health risk, as these gases are neither CMR, nor toxic, nor irritating to the respiratory tract. However, when inhaled in large quantities (usually following a leak in a low-volume enclosed environment), they can cause dizziness and headaches. In fortunately rarer cases, inhalation can lead to loss of consciousness and possibly death.
 
Risks associated with falls from height: Refrigeration engineers regularly have to work at height on refrigeration systems. In private homes, the indoor unit of air conditioners (evaporator) is often located high up in the home, requiring the use of a step stool or stepladder. The outdoor part of air conditioners (condenser) is usually located on the facade of the dwelling (e.g. a private home), or even on roofs (e.g. industrial installations). The risk of falling from a height arises as soon as the refrigeration engineer's feet are no longer on the ground, and he or she uses a means of access or a means of working at a height: step, stepladder, ladder, etc. The risks associated with falls from height depend mainly on the stability of the means of access used, as well as on the working height. Working on a roof without a guardrail, and without wearing PPE (harness, lanyard, fall arrester), is the biggest risk factor. Damage caused by falls from height can include impact with the ground, an object below or a person below. Il peut en résulter des contusions, des fractures, des hémorragies internes et/ou externes, des traumatismes crâniens pouvant plonger la personne dans le coma, des lésions irréversibles (par exemple, des lésions de la moelle épinière entraînant une tétraplégie ou un accident vasculaire cérébral), voire la mort.
 
Risks associated with working on live equipment: When assembling, maintaining and repairing refrigeration systems, refrigeration engineers work on equipment connected to the electrical network (230 volts single-phase for domestic use, or 380 volts three-phase for industrial use). If refrigeration technicians work on equipment without first disconnecting it from the mains, they run the risk of electrocution or electrification. Electrification and electrocution occur when you work on electrical equipment without having taken the time to observe basic safety rules: cut off the supply current (by disconnecting or isolating via a disconnecting switch), lock out using an appropriate device (e.g. keyed padlock in industrial electrical cabinets), check for the absence of voltage using a dedicated device (preferably VAT).
 
 
A GUARANTEE OF THE QUALITY OF OUR HEALTH AND SAFETY RISK ASSESSMENT 
_ We're registered as Professional Risk Prevention Consultants.
_ Our team comprises graduate safety engineers.
_ Our documents are routinely checked by safety inspectors.
_ We frequently update our Occupational Risk Assessments.
 
RESOURCES 
_ "Safety and Hazards in the Refrigeration Industry" by Cambridge Refrigeration Technology.