Focus Around the world

04.09.2013
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Ammonia Leak in Shanghai from a refrigeration plant

At least 15 people where killed in the explosion caused by an ammonia leak from a frozen storage in Shangai.
On Saturday 30th August, China has seen again a tragedy at work. In the Baoshan district in Shanghai 15 people died because of an ammonia leak from a frozen and logistic business that injured also a number of employees.

The reports did not explain how the whole thing happened or if all the people involved were employees. Important is that the investigations on the causes are proceeding, according to safety officials.

From its part, the Chinese government expressed its intent to reduce industrial accidents in all workplaces. In fact, that of Shanghai was not the first tragedy China experienced: in June, an explosion in a poultry plant was considered the worst industrial accident ever.

Anyway, the government has not given details on the latest tragedies, except saying that in 2011 the deaths caused by industrial accidents have lowered.

In this accident are involved natural refrigerant gases, which were the topic of the XV European Convention on cold innovations and of air conditioning. After the EU F-Gas proposal, the European refrigeration sector that banishes these gases greenhouse-effect-responsible is still looking for efficient alternatives able to combine plants’ security, energetic saving and low-pollution levels.

Many european manifactures’ associations, in air-conditioning and refrigeration equipment, opposed strongly these new regulations. They affirm that valid alternatives does not exist already. What happened in China could probably re-open the European debate on F-Gases removal from all plants.