The thing about accidents is that they are generally avoidable. Think about accidents in the home – such as a pot boiling over on the hob, or falling downstairs, fire and flood, broken cups… the list goes on. Most of these types of accidents would never happen if a little extra care were taken.
Fortunately, very few accidents in the home result in disasters, although the majority of disasters begin with an accident.
It’s the same at places of work and play, of course. A slippery shop floor could end with a slight fall, or perhaps a far worse accident. Such an event will often lead to a loss of good faith, or perhaps even a loss of custom because of bad publicity, as well as the likelihood of being sued by the victim.
There is generally no excuse for negligence.
Accident prone air conditioning
Despite some very high profile cases, commercial air conditioning continues to be the cause of several accidents annually that could easily have been avoided. Poorly installed units and those not regularly serviced by a qualified air conditioning mechanic are the main causes of these accidents.
High profile accidents involving commercial air conditioning units
Fortunately, the injuries sustained by a woman in London in 2008, when struck by a falling air conditioning unit, were not fatal. But severe head, arm and leg injuries did warrant a stay in hospital. All she was doing was waiting for a bus.
Fatalities caused by falling air conditioners are few and far between, with serious injuries being more common. Death by commercial air conditioning is usually encountered before or during installation – such as the worker killed when a commercial air conditioning unit slid off a truck in New York in 2012.
However, a pedestrian was killed in 1988 by a long time commercial air conditioning unit when it fell from an office window in New York.
Only last week, a truck cab was crushed when an air conditioning unit fell on it Thankfully, no one was hurt – though this outcome owed everything to luck.
It is not just falling commercial air conditioning units that cause accidents
Poorly installed air conditioning units are also to blame for injury and death. In the UK, a metropolitan council was fined £400,000 (around $600,000) when found guilty of negligence after an electrical contractor was killed while examining a faulty commercial air conditioning unit.
In Southampton, UK, in September last year, 62 shoppers fell ill when a poorly maintained air conditioning unit leaked refrigerant. Two large superstores were closed, emergency services mobilised, and the local hospital inundated with emergency cases.
Avoid air conditioning accidents
Clearly, commercial air conditioning can be dangerous, before, during, and after installation, which is why Brisbane Air recommends using only well qualified air conditioning technicians throughout the process.
Knowing how to handle commercial air conditioning units on initial installation, how to securely fix them and then make certain there are no leaks is essential for any installation job. A regular air conditioning service and maintenance regime is also important.
For more information on commercial air conditioning safety installation, plus commercial air conditioning servicing and how to avoid the sort of accident that could cripple your business, contact us here at Brisbane Air now.