Arkansas HVACR NewsMagazine September 2024

HVACR NewsMagazine September 2024

Tech News

staring up at the lights above the gurney, if we are lucky. Most of those rides were preventable at some point. From getting out of the shower, to daily work requirements and everything in between, safety must become a mindset.

Safety is a Forever Word. Tom Turner, Air Evangelist While we normally discuss mechanical issues for HVAC on these pages, we will alter topics for the month of September. With winter coming, most companies change their focus from cooling to heating. Heating systems only operate efficiently when adjusted and tuned for optimum fuel / heat by using a combustion analyzer. At a minimum study and educate yourself and others you employ with the proper use of the tool. If you want to master the issue, National Comfort Institute offers the best training available. While CO is a primary concern, we find ourselves working more indoors to service heating systems. Because we are on the topic of combustion safety and working more indoors, we can take the time to address some safety issues. We all get the spiel over and over. “Your family needs you to come home tonight!” The phrase is true, but is said so often, we fail to pay attention. Instead of going over safety, top to bottom, we will discuss the issue from the perspective of preventing injuries that will haunt you for the rest of your life, or worse. Sprains, strains, and general light injuries may seem of little importance at their occurrence, will most likely cause a loss of mobility or pain that becomes intolerable later in life. Lifting a condenser off the truck or over objects may seem a common occurrence, but repeatedly stressing the body will show up with time. Unfortunately, many of us have experienced rides in the back of an ambulance

Repetitive motion will always get us in trouble over the long haul. Cutting wire, pipe fitting, or

twisting motion as with a screwdriver, will get us in trouble. Fortunately, cordless tools have made the job more tolerable, and codes have called for convenience power receptacles on the roof of commercial structures.

Think about what you are about to do. What tools are necessary, and what aspects will impact safety. It’s best to plan, even for the smallest task. If you are on

a ladder planning will minimize the trips up and down. Working only a couple of feet off the ground may seem like a non-issue, but many accidents on low ladders wind up altering the remainder of one’s life. Whether working at home or out of the truck it is a good idea to have a specific area set aside for safety tools.