Small Ammonia Leak Occurs at Athletic Club
Incident Investigation
Small Ammonia Leak Occurs at Athletic Club
April 9, 2024
Boiler, PV and Refrigeration
Reference Number:
II-1695882-2024 (#45521)
Location: North Vancouver
Regulated industry sector: Boilers, PV & refrigeration - Refrigeration system
Incident overview
An ammonia leak occurred inside the machinery room of a public athletic club with indoor ice facilities. The leak happened during decommissioning work of an ammonia refrigeration condenser by a licensed refrigeration contractor and resulted in the facility enacting their Ammonia Release Emergency Protocol. The incident was likely caused because the contractor didn’t properly purge and vacuum the oil pot and drop leg to remove all the ammonia from the refrigeration system before cutting the pipe.