Employers in Western Australia need to recognise that they may change the hazard profile of their operation if they replace the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) supplied refrigerant with a hydrocarbon refrigerant in their mobile equipment air-conditioners or other refrigeration systems.
A hydrocarbon refrigerant may reduce some hazards (e.g. toxicity, environmental damage), but other hazards may be increased (e.g. fire).
Mines Safety Significant Incident Report No. 177, issued on 18 April 2012, described an incident where an employee received burns following an incident involving the ignition of hydrocarbon gas that had leaked from the vehicle’s air-conditioning system.