Working within the heating, ventilation and air conditioning service industry presents occupational health and safety challenges due to the nature of the equipment we use.
Thankfully, we live in a time where the health and safety of air conditioning and refrigeration technicians are at the forefront of business operations.
Chatfield OzCool were determined to find a safer way to transport refrigerant bottles. These refrigerant bottles are essential for the work that we do, so we were keen to find a way to help the technicians safely lift these in and out of the service fans.
The Chatfield OzCool service vans are essentially a workshop on wheels. The technicians have all the equipment they need for standard servicing and maintenance. These vans also need to have space for additional equipment and parts that may be needed for specialised jobs. So, ensuring that the capacity of these vans is optimised, was essential.
After years of working in the industry as a technician himself, business owner, Russell Chatfield, set about designing a unique slide out drawer that would transform the technicians’ vans.
Refrigerant bottles can weigh up to 15 kg so not only did there need to be a solution that could store them safely during transit, but also made them easier to lift out of the vans.
Introducing the custom built, slide out drawers.
This innovation was an industry first. The slide out drawer considered the weight and dimensions of the refrigerant bottles. The drawers were equipped with locking mechanisms to prevent movement during transit and the drawers were designed to maximise space to help with the technician’s workflow when on a job site.
These drawers aim to reduce the risk of workplace injuries and prevent back injuries amongst technicians within the industry, as it prevents them having to twist to lift the bottles out of the van.
Since we have implemented these drawers and overhauled the layout and format of our work vans, other HVAC companies have also considered adopting similar modifications for their fleets.
Chatfield OzCool aims to set a new standard for best practices in occupational health and safety. Addressing the ergonomic concerns of our technicians is one of the vital steps that helps us nurture safety within our industry for years to come.
The team at Chatfield OzCool are available to assist with cooling and refrigeration equipment service and repairs, and we are happy to answer any questions you may have.
If you would like to find out how we could help you, please give the team at Chatfield OzCool a call on 1300 361 186.
Click here to see what other services Chatfield OzCool can offer.