Plate Freezer Maintenance

"An unqualified maintenance supervisor wants", "This issue is beyond me, as I have no experience on this" How do you know the supervisor is unqualified? Are you qualified to make that judgement call? If that is the case, then you and or the supervisor should research the failure rate of the concerned hoses, how often are the hoses are repaired or replaced, how much flexing these hoses are subjected to, etc. Your concern could be justified when dealing with ammonia and the hoses, if the hoses have a high failure rate.

What I meant by unqualified was, he has very little refrigeration experience.

Well I'd say the situation is answered in your characterization "unqualified maintenance supervisor"....Maintenance procedures are usually guidelined on industry standards, manufacturers recommendations and direct experience....I would check with the manufacturer and see what recommendations they may have, as well as other plants using the same equipment, any serious deviation from these standards may be opening the company up to liability....I would also caution you that his actions may be dictated by a higher up trying to cut costs, and was hired on purpose for just this reason, foolish as it may be....don't be a victim, but you can be a whistleblower...

Ammonia is still the best refrigerant.

BUT, it is poisonous as hell in real concentrations.

There is reason to be concerned. Mere opinions do not have a weight beyond that. Regulatory rules and manufacturers assistance will help to settle the issue.

If boneheaded obstinacy is there, report it, and DO NOT BE THERE when the gas hits the fan.

As PWSlack would say, "What does the manufacturer have to say about this, or have you ignored their advice?"

Aw, shucks.

Am I being paranoid?

Yes you are and that's probably a good thing.

There are two types of paranoia, the type you have when you know things will be going pear shaped soon and the type you have when you don't know anything and everything is scary.

You are right to question the wisdom if it deviates from norms. The trick is to determine whether or not the deviation is imprudent or efficient.

Have a private conversation with the guy and let him know you are concerned and that perhaps for everybody's sakes a bit more research should be performed before deciding.

What is your function at the plant?

Wal, I am also a Maintenance Supervisor, but not in the chilled or frozen side of the business. I have seen the result of an ammonia leak and it was not pretty. I have been around refrigeration long enough to know how it works, the problems to overcome and how important maintenance is to ensure employees safety.

I suppose I just want some reassurance that I had done the right thing in bringing this issue to the right people even though it was not my area of concern, which I didn't indicate in my initial post. It has caused some friction within the Maintenance team, but that is not a worry.

You did the right thing.

Now, whoever approves the change will be responsible (personally in Oz) if it leads to an accident.

Folk only get upset when they are thinking. Mission accomplished.

pipes and hoses used in refrigeration erode from the inside out. Difficult to check visually. Ultra sound type inspection is needed to really know condition inside the tube or hose.

Your concerns about fatal leaks may be justified.

Who set up the mainenance schedule in the first place? If it was the manufacturer, I would think twice. You should get independent opinions from the manufacturer. I would never trust myself to give such an opinion. Engineers are a conservative lot, and will always err on the side of caution. Nobody on CR4 would advocate reducing a maintenance schedule. Your maintenance logs will tell the whole story.

Am I right in assuming that in order to check them, you have to shut the system down for a day to let it all melt, so you lose a whole day's refrigeration? If so, I can understand why he would want to stretch it to a year from six months. Not many plants can comfortably shut down for that long without serious effects to the bottom line!

Inspection cycles are designed for a reason.

If you mess with the inspection cycle, you might save a fair amount in productivity. But you might be the cause of failing to prevent an accident. If it were MY plant, I would install emergency extraction fans which would kick in if there was a sudden drop in pressure. Turn a potentially fatal leak into a mere annoyance.

I would also think hard about looking for another job. The reason being that the management are looking for ways to improve the bottom line for a year or so in order to make the company more attractive to sell. Cutting back elective maintenance is usually a big tip off, as is removing light bulbs, reduced janitorial, and wooden window panes (board ups).