Não é nenhum segredo que o monóxido de carbono é mortal. Todos nós já ouvimos as histórias de horror que resultam de pessoas inconscientemente respirando o gás incolor e inodoro. Como proprietário ou gerente responsável de uma empresa, você tem detectores de monóxido de carbono instalados em seu prédio e provavelmente acha que isso o protege do perigo.
Não inteiramente.
É verdade que os detectores de monóxido de carbono provavelmente o protegerão do resultado mais mortal:pessoas em seu prédio adoecendo ou até morrendo por exposição ao gás venenoso. Mas você já considerou as consequências de ter um susto em seu prédio quando esses detectores disparam? As dicas de manutenção do forno de outono a seguir ajudarão você a ficar seguro no caso de seus detectores dispararem e tomar medidas preventivas para garantir que eles nunca o façam.
Dica de manutenção do forno de outono nº 1:conheça o protocolo recomendado quando um detector de monóxido de carbono dispara.
- Evacuar imediatamente o prédio. Não precisamos dizer o quão difícil e potencialmente perigoso isso pode ser. Você deve ter a equipe de segurança adequada e um plano para evitar o pânico e as pessoas se machucarem tentando sair com pressa.
- Chame o corpo de bombeiros. Se você tiver um grande edifício com um sistema de gerenciamento de instalações, isso pode ser configurado para acontecer automaticamente. A próxima coisa que você percebe é que a rua inteira pode estar bloqueada quando os caminhões de bombeiros convergem para o seu prédio.
- Faça uma contagem para determinar se está faltando alguém. Isso pode ser um desafio se você possui um negócio de varejo. Who can verify exactly who was in the building?
- Turn off the heating system and any appliances. If you own a restaurant, think about the result if you had to shut down the kitchen in the middle of the dinner rush.
- Open all the windows and doors to air out the space. Many buildings in New York City have windows that don’t open. In this case it will take much longer to clear out the poisonous gas from the building. You may be out in the street for quite some time.
- Get a qualified expert in to determine the cause of the leak and fix it. How long will you have to wait (with your business at a standstill) for that technician to arrive, then diagnose and fix the problem? If it happens at night or on the weekend, you’ll be paying emergency service rates.
Obviously, there is the potential for significant loss of business due to a carbon monoxide scare in your building. Not to mention the public relations nightmare when your evacuation is reported in the news and everyone who was there shares what happened on social media.
Having those detectors in place can be a lifesaver, but as a business owner you need to do more to make sure you never have a carbon monoxide leak that can damage your business and your reputation.
Fall Furnace Maintenance Tip #2:Take actions to prevent carbon monoxide leaks.
The good news is, there’s a very simple way to avoid all of this. Have your furnace, as well as vents, chimneys, fireplaces, and any fuel-burning appliances regularly inspected by a qualified professional.
The most common cause of carbon monoxide leaks is a failed or leaking heat exchanger in your gas or oil furnace. The heat exchanger’s job is to vent the poisonous gases resulting from heat combustion away from your heating ducts and out of the building. If the heat exchanger develops corrosion, cracks or holes over time, you will never know it because the furnace still works. But carbon monoxide could be making its way through your building’s ventilation system. You’ll have no warning until your carbon monoxide detector goes off, and at that point you have a nightmare on your hands.
The other common cause of carbon monoxide leaks into the air is blocked vents or chimney flues. These are designed to move the deadly gases out of your building, but can get clogged by years-worth of dust and debris. Sometimes blockages can be caused by insect, bird or rodents nests. If this happens in your building, again you probably won’t know until the detector alerts you.
In addition to these furnace maintenance tips, you should have your heating equipment and vent systems thoroughly inspected and cleaned before you turn them on at the start of the heating season. A certified HVAC service professional will make sure your equipment is safe, clean and in good working order. And if it turns out that repairs are needed to make it safe, you can do them at your convenience instead of on an emergency basis. Either way, you’re saving yourself from a major headache and possibly a business disaster.
Carbon monoxide is only one of the dangers your business faces due to poor HVAC maintenance. If you’d like to learn more about the costs and risks associated with neglected heating and air conditioning equipment, take a look at our free guide to Calculating the Hidden Costs of Poor HVAC Maintenance.
