CO2 refrigeration JHA and hold points, Laurel Flats Market

Pellam Refrigeration's job hazard analysis for the transcritical CO2 system in the new grocery store has been completed against the project documents. It covers 30 rated hazards and 18 checks grouped into three hold points before the pressure test, evacuation and charging. The draft was revised in ten places, including fixed gas detection before charging.

Refrigeration sub: Pellam Refrigeration, LLCGC: Harlow & Vance Construction, Inc.CO2 (R-744), approx. 460 lbWork Nov 9–26, 2026Prepared Nov 5, 2026

Summary

R-22 · CO2 charging

The asphyxiation hazard in the machinery room had no fixed gas detection

The draft relied on personal gas monitors with a residual risk of 2 × 5 = 10, which falls in the SSSP's high band. The Div 23 specifications, p. 23, require fixed detection and emergency exhaust in machinery room LL-07, but commissioning was scheduled for the week of Nov 30, after charging on Nov 25.

Commissioning moved to Nov 24 and added to hold point 3 as QC-12 and QC-13.

PT-01 Rev B · Pressure test

The draft test pressure would have exceeded the MT and LT sections

The draft called for 1,915 psig on the whole system in one step. PT-01 Rev B, p. 3, sets three sections, high side 1,915, MT 960 and LT 480 psig, and the display case IOM manual, p. 14, limits the evaporators to the same MT and LT values.

The JHA now has three test steps and isolation of 38 display cases and 4 walk-ins (QC-01, QC-02).

The test pressures and vacuum criterion are project values. The engineer of record (licensed PE) should confirm them against each section's design pressure and the manufacturers' instructions before testing.

3-week lookahead Rev 4 · row 41

The pressure test overlapped electrical work in the same rooms

The strength test was set for Tuesday, Nov 17. That day Tolliver Electric is installing cable tray in corridor LL-1 and machinery room LL-07, inside the test's exclusion zone.

The test moved to Saturday, Nov 21 with a barricaded zone (QC-04). The weekend shift added a new working-alone hazard (R-29).

JHA, hazards and hold points

Work through the activities in order and sign off the checks at each hold point. The risk matrix shows each hazard before and after controls. Ready for pressure test? lists the checks still open before the next step. Sign-offs and status last only while the page is open. Which rack vessels need an L&I inspection, and whether it must be complete before charging (QC-15), should be confirmed with the state boiler and pressure vessel inspector before the hold points are used.

0Hazards rated
0High risks before controls
0High risks after controls
0Checks complete
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    Sources and method

    Sources

    • Pellam_JHA_CO2_Refrigeration_Draft_RevA.docxSubcontractor draft with activities, 27 hazards and 15 checks14 pages
    • JHA_Risk_Register_Draft.xlsxDraft risk ratings, likelihood × severity27 rows
    • PT-01_Refrigerant_Pressure_Test_Procedure_RevB.pdfProject procedure: test sections, test pressures, standing test and vacuum decay test. References ASME B31.5 and ASHRAE 15.6 pages
    • Div23_Refrigeration_Specifications_RevC.pdfSection 23 23 00 Refrigerant Piping and related sections: gas detection, emergency exhaust, relief valves, inspections. Machinery room requirements reference ASHRAE 15.38 pages
    • Display_Case_IOM_Manual.pdfManufacturer's maximum test pressure for MT and LT evaporators22 pages
    • 3WLA_Nov16-Dec4_Rev4.xlsxGC's three-week lookahead for all trades112 rows
    • SSSP_Laurel_Flats_Market_Rev3.pdfGC's site-specific safety plan and accident prevention program under WAC 296-155: risk matrix, site rules, compressed gas handling18 pages

    Method

    1. The draft's activities, hazards and checks were compared with the requirements in the Div 23 specifications, PT-01 and the display case IOM manual.
    2. Each hazard was rated before and after controls on the SSSP's 1–5 likelihood and severity scales. Residual risks of 10 or more got new controls.
    3. Every control that must be in place before a given step became a check with criterion, verification and responsible party, grouped in the hold point ahead of that step.
    4. Activity dates were checked against the three-week lookahead for other trades in the same rooms on the same day.
    5. Every change from the draft was logged with its source.

    Assumptions and limitations

    • Test pressures, alarm setpoints and vacuum criteria are this project's values from PT-01 Rev B and the Div 23 specifications Rev C. All pressures are gauge pressures in psig. They have not been checked here against the system's design pressures; the engineer of record (licensed PE) should confirm them.
    • Washington is an OSHA State Plan state. Construction safety on this site falls under chapter 296-155 WAC, administered by L&I's Division of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH).
    • Inspection scope for the refrigeration system follows the project's mechanical permit with the City of Laurel Flats. Unfired pressure vessels on the rack that are not exempt under chapter 70.79 RCW also fall under L&I's boiler and pressure vessel program (chapter 296-104 WAC); which vessels are exempt is the project's own determination and has not been confirmed with the state boiler and pressure vessel inspector.
    • This JHA does not cover balancing, refrigeration startup or the electrical sub's own tasks.