Edinburgh cafe explosion

[Tony]

I seem to remember that there was an explosion occured when an 'engineer' pressure tested a refrigeration system with oxygen instead of OFN, but cannot find any details.

I know the name of the company involved but won't print it.

Does anyone have any info at all?

[Brian_UK]

What sort of 'info' are you after Tony ?

Having posted under Technical Refrigeration - Fundamentals are you enquiring as to WHY the explosion happened or as to the outcome of the event ?

[Tony]

Hi Brian,

I seem to recall that a leak test was being carried out, but the engineer concerned was using oxygen rather than OFN.

But I am not sure if I am mixing this up with another incident.

So I would like confirmation that this was the case and I have not heard of any decision on the outcome of this case.

[alex242]

The company the service engineer worked for was expecting FAR to much from ther engineers. That is why this accident happend.
I have been heard the company he worked for made its engineers work like MAD DOGS, starting at 6am in the morning and finishing at 11pm at night only then to start faxing job sheets to head office????????

PLEASE NOTE

This is what happens when individuals get pushed to far.
I feel really sorry for the service engineer and I totally blame the company he worked for _______ _______.

[Argus]

Tony,

Like many of us I don?t know the exact details surrounding the incident you are referring to.

In the UK, employers are obliged to record all accidents at work, however slight. Those accidents resulting in more than 3 days absence must, by law, be notified to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). This doesn?t necessarily mean that anyone is going to end up in court.

In situations where a breach of safety regulations occurs, the

HSE have the power to prosecute. They always prosecute in the event of serious injury or fatality where there is proven culpability. There is a case concerning Legionella in court recently.

If there is a breach of safety law resulting in a conviction it is posted on the HSE?s web site. You can search by offence, by company, by location etc. However, these cases can go on for some considerable time before resolution.

It beats me why so many technicians take risks not only with their own safety, but those around them in public places. ?Having to get the job done? is absolutely no defence.


.
________
marijuana joint

[dougie]

tony
the company involved inthis incident was capital cooling

[TXiceman]

All too often companies push the $$$ ahead of the safety of the project. My brother was an electrician that was sent to head up a project at an Air Force base in Texas several years ago. The job supervisor started tell ing to do things that was nothing more than cutting corners. Once he crossed the line of telling to do things counter to the NEC (National Electric Code) he told him no and loaded up his tools and went back to the home office. When he came in, he had a "pink slip" (termination notice) and his final check waiting on him for not violating the NEC. He filed a grievence with the TEC (Texas Employment Commission when he went to collect unemplyoment. Also called the Air Force rep on the job and told him what happened.

After some investigation, the contractor was tossed off the job and not paid for his work at all.

Ken

[chemi-cool]

Its a world wide problem.
And the leading industry is Chemical.
They kill people on daily bases, cutting all possible corners.

North to where I live is a big chemical industrial zone and last time they checked the air for poisonous gasses it was 38'000 %
above the allowed rate.
in a normal country the factory would shot immediately.

I am sure that the guy who carried out the system check with oxygen, did not have a clue of what might happened when oil and oxygen mix.

The question that jumps to my haed is what a bottle of oxygen was doing on fridgie van?
I know we all keep a small one for brazing.

Chemi

[coolman]

This accident acctually happend on board of a dutch coaster.
A colleque of mine was at that time working for the same companie on a other ship.

The people involved was the ship engineer.
Apperently they mixed up a oxigen and nirtogen bottle and pressurized 135 Hp system.
Some younger engineer switched the system on by accident, resulting in a explosion of the compressor with even blew a hole in the ship hul.
Every one present at the scene was killed.

Victor

[Coolman Andy]

You can find the truth on this Edinburgh cafe explosion on the internet through past newspaper publications via Google.

The company involved was Capital cooling and there spokesman at the court investigation where the company was fined £15,000 admitted there was reason to blame both parties.

The engineer was given a cylinder, thought to be Nitrogen from the Capital storeroom. This cylinder was actually Oxygen.
The engineer took the cylinder to the site in Edinburgh city centre, where he proceeded to pressure test a system to find a leak. Little did he know he was pressure testing the system with oxygen.
The court case revealed that he had used a blow torch ( turbo torch i presume) which when in contact with the oxygen caused a massive explosion rocking the building and smashing windows. The engineer suffered injury, hearing problems etc but i think he is ok.

I can actually understand the mix up with the gas as i have used the supplier they used at the time. The supplier was Gasco Ltd. who for some reason like to mix the colours of their cylinders up unlike the same standard colours BOC use.

Gasco Nitrogen cylinder have Black as there colour code and they have white as there code colour on their oxygen cylinders.
If you are used to using BOC then you can understand the mixup especially as, from experience the Gasco cylinders like OFN, Oxygen and Acetylene are also very poorly labelled. Most you can't make out what they say. It;s only when you use Gasco for a while as your only supplier you get used to their poor labelling and get to know there colour code.

So is suppose you can't just blame one person or one company for the accident and thats what it was, an accident. It wasn't a tradgedy or anything, nobody died nor was seriously injured.
Although it would have been scary at the time for all involved, not least the engineer.

Does anyone know if the engineer is still working with Capital or is still in the service game?

[chemi-cool]

Hi Andy.

That is what I was afraid of.
These stupid mistakes that cost life.

Its about time that someone will take the gas companies to court and make them explain, why are the threads of Oxygen, Nitrogen and CO2 are the same.

You can actually make the same mistake in Hospitals and kill people.

I have asked in the past local gas manufacturers and the answer was that is international thing and they can not change it here as some of the bottles are from abroad.
At least our bottles are in totally different colours so this mistake is not as likely to happened.
It can happened when there is not enough light.

All I can suggest is to check your gear personally and never ever trust anyone else to do it for you.

Chemi

[tony parker]

i just cant believe in this day and age we cannot get an international standard on these things

[chemi-cool]

Hi Tony,

There are international standards.

All the manufacturers use the same valves with the same threads for oxygen, nitrogen and CO2 gas bottles.

Thats where the problems start.
The only exception, is that on oxygen manometers, it says: use no oil.

But if the valves was different, regardless the colour, it would cut down the possibility of an accident by 99%, at least.

I will look tomorrow for some standards on the web but anyone who knows something about it, is more then welcome to shed some light.

Chemi

[Tony]

Thanks for that info, you have confirmed most of the info I had.

But I didn't know about the different colour coded cylinders bit.

Thanks Coolman Andy

[frank]

http://www.bocindustrial.co.uk/safet..._cylinders.asp

[techguy]

Hi All
This accident has occured a few times over the last few years in various countries in europe i seem to remember an engineer blew a chiller up in centeral london a few yrs back. What most people don't realise is that when oil and oxygen mix there is under the correct conditions IE the oil needs to be warm( im not sure of the temp range but i think its between 12 and 38 c) an instant chemical explosion. MOST GUY'S I'VE TALKED TO THINK A FLAME IS REQUIRED TO CAUSE THE EXPLOSION THIS IS NOT THE CASE. The explosion occures without a catylst.I have seen a system which exploded and the compressor had opened up like a flower
Oxygen and nitrogen are now available in grey cylinders nowadays so the bottom line is be careful out there.

[andrewuk]

The goverment must pass a law to make all gas suppliers use a common colour code system for the various gases then there can be no mistake if you switch from one supplier to another .

If you work for a company that pushes you so hard stand up for your self and tell them to fox trot oscar in no uncertain terms ,you only have on life don't loose it over f***K Heads

some people a very greedy and they care not for your life and welfare ,so when you find that out don't hange around look for a new job asap and go .

[tonto]

I know now in western australia that boc now have a male thread on their nitrogen bottles as apposed to a female thread on oxygen and acetylene bottles.. Guages manufactured for nitrogen for pressure testing are now being made with female thread connection to suit the new bottles... Or if you have a old style nitrogen pressure guage you can buy an adaptor from boc......

[craigpcg]

i did work for capital until april this year and the engineer got a large paid out the took about 4 years out and he is now working again but not capital.

the was an other serious accident at capital but the engineer did not take it any further but let me tell u that due to the accident he is now a very damaged guy

[Colin G]

i did work for capital until april this year and the engineer got a large paid out the took about 4 years out and he is now working again but not capital.

the was an other serious accident at capital but the engineer did not take it any further but let me tell u that due to the accident he is now a very damaged guy

sorry to drag up an old thread but did this other incident involve a fork lift and a load of cold room panels?

[craigpcg]

No thats an other situation and a few more i can tel you lol

[scottishladx]

I know the engineer in question i was working with specky heat at the time of the incedant.

A few months later a colleague of mine was changing a compressor on a 2-stage system he was changing the 1st stage pot he went to proceed to sweat the dryer out and it was the stage 2 dryer, he hadn't traced the correct pipes back properly.He had a very sore face and fire engines etc were called he was a very lucky laddie not to be seriously injured.