HVAC&R safety reminder

A steel ductwork collapse in the US is a reminder of the need for adequate training and safety in the industry

Thankfully this is not a scene from New Zealand. However, the falling of a large portion of steel ductwork in Aurora, Colorado, has been an important reminder of what can go wrong if safety advice is neglected.

At the time of the collapse, the lawsuit that was ultimately filed claims the ductwork improperly contained a significant amount of water, showed significant rust corrosion of the internal surface, and that the cable suspension system was grossly insufficient to support the ductwork.

“This case arises from the collapse of air exchange ductwork in the indoor pool at the Gaylord Rockies Resort and Convention Centre. Due to poor design, poor construction and poor maintenance, several hundred feet of four-foot diameter steel ductwork –weighing thousands of pounds – fell 35 feet to the concrete floor below, crashing into several people,” the lawsuit says.

Falling into a pool with between 50 and 100 people in it, the ductwork injured six people.

“The ductwork struck John Markiewicz in the head, driving his body into the concrete floor, shattering his skull, causing multiple rib fractures, a bruised heart, and a traumatic brain injury. He was unconscious when paramedics arrived and hip injuries are so severe, it is a miracle he is still alive today.”

The same is said for a 13-year-old girl, who, as she tried to escape, had the ductwork knock her out of a hot tub. This resulted in the ductwork snapping her pelvis in half, shattering her hip, and causing so much internal hemorrhaging that without blood infusions, emergency surgery and the efforts of emergency medical personnel, she would have bled to death.

“Tonnes of steel ductwork should not fall from the ceiling, and these life-changing injuries should never have happened,” the lawsuit summises.