Industrial refrigerationAustralia · New Zealand · The Pacific

Tools and guidance

Useful by design.

Practical resources for people responsible for ammonia plant, process safety, competency and emergency readiness.

RESOURCES

Forthcoming field guide

Avoiding Catastrophe

Ammonia doesn’t forgive mistakes. It won’t wait for you to catch up, cover a missed step or correct an off-spec system.

This is not a textbook or compliance checklist. It is a field-ready guide for technicians, WHS managers and PCBUs working with ammonia systems.

Common oversights that precede major incidents
Practical safeguards and red flags
Essential controls that must never be compromised

Paid download

Ammonia Management Template

A practical, editable foundation for developing a site-specific ammonia management system. Select the jurisdictional model that applies to your organisation.

New Zealand · Digital template

Ammonia Management Template

Structured for New Zealand organisations managing anhydrous ammonia refrigeration systems.

New Zealand terminology and duty-holder context
Editable management-system framework
Immediate access after successful payment

AUD $500Buy securely

Download sample preview

Model Australia · Digital template

Ammonia Management Template

Structured around the Australian model WHS framework for adaptation to the applicable State or Territory.

Australian model WHS terminology
Editable management-system framework
Immediate access after successful payment

AUD $500Buy securely

Download sample preview

Site-specific review required: This template provides a structured starting point. It must be reviewed against the actual plant, refrigerant inventory, operations, emergency arrangements and applicable legal requirements.

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Interactive tool / NH3

Room toxicity and vapour mass estimator

Estimate the ammonia vapour present in a room from a uniformly mixed concentration reading. Uses the ideal-gas relationship at 101.325 kPa.

Estimated airborne NH30.110 kgwithin 528 m³ of room volume

Exposure referenceIDLH reference reached

At or above the 300 ppm immediately dangerous to life or health reference.

CO₂ neutralisation estimate0.287 kg

Planning estimate based on 2.6 kg of CO₂ per 1 kg of estimated airborne ammonia.

Important limitation

This is the estimated vapour mass in the air, not the total mass released. A real leak may involve ongoing ventilation, incomplete mixing, local concentration peaks, liquid pooling, absorption or ammonia retained elsewhere in the system.

The CO₂ figure is a simplified neutralisation planning estimate, not a release-control instruction. Actual reaction efficiency, mixing, delivery method and site conditions must be assessed by a competent person before use.

Online guide

Ammonia safety audit readiness

Complete a formal process-safety review every three to five years, and sooner after significant change, an incident or evidence that controls are no longer effective.

Stay ready

Maintain a tidy, current set of Process Safety Information for reference and review.
Include the design basis, P&IDs, refrigerant charge, relief arrangements, controls, alarms, maintenance history and operating and emergency procedures.
Assemble the people who know the risk: WHS, engineering, operators and refrigeration service providers.
Test documents against the actual plant, then assign and close every material gap.

Online checklist

Machinery-room emergency review

Tick each safeguard only when it is present, functional and understood.

Gas detection provides sufficient coverage, is correctly located, calibrated and function tested.Alarms are audible and visual inside and outside the machinery room, and can be heard throughout the facility.Emergency ventilation starts automatically at a risk-based set point no higher than 150 ppm.Emergency stops and isolation controls are accessible from outside.Exits are clear, doors open in the direction of escape and ventilation discharges to a safe location.The emergency plan, muster arrangements, responder interface and first actions are current and practised.

Online briefing

R717 exposure and alarm settings

These values are ceilings, not recommended alarm settings. Set points must be based on the site risk and should be lower where people, occupancy, detection coverage or escalation time require earlier warning.

Reference	Value	Meaning
Australia TWA	25 ppm	8-hour workplace exposure standard
Australia STEL	35 ppm	15-minute workplace exposure standard
New Zealand TWA	20 ppm	8-hour workplace exposure standard
New Zealand STEL	40 ppm	15-minute workplace exposure standard
Ventilation interlock	150 ppm max	Automatic emergency ventilation ceiling
IDLH	300 ppm	Immediately dangerous to life or health
5% of LFL	≈7,500 ppm	WHS hazardous-atmosphere threshold, not a safe exposure level

Why 5% LFL, not 20%? The model WHS Regulations define an atmosphere as hazardous when flammable gas exceeds 5% of its lower explosive limit and require the associated risk to be managed. This statutory threshold takes precedence over the higher 20% LFL detector threshold referenced by AS/NZS 5149. For ammonia, 5% LFL is about 7,500 ppm, already far above the 300 ppm IDLH. It is an upper flammability-control boundary, not a recommended alarm setting; toxicity-based warning and response set points must be much lower.

Confirm current jurisdictional requirements and complete a site-specific risk assessment before selecting or changing any set point.

Start here

Know where your ammonia risk stands.

Start with a practical conversation about your plant, current concerns and what good looks like from here.

Email Paddy Call Paddy+61 (0) 422 229 828

Useful by design.

Avoiding Catastrophe

Be first in line.

Ammonia Management Template

Ammonia Management Template

Ammonia Management Template

Room toxicity and vapour mass estimator

Ammonia safety audit readiness

Stay ready

Machinery-room emergency review

R717 exposure and alarm settings

Know where your ammonia risk stands.