We had a bonehead mishap that cleared an entire
manufacturing floor when I worked at Integrated Development
and Manuacturing. One of their main lines of business was
building controlled environment chambers for biological
research. This meant heating and A/C systems.
We were rushing to get a system out the door when some
individual who missed all his science classes decided it
would save time to start charging the A/C system with freon
while the piping was still being soldered (saves having to
evacuate the system of air, right?) Being a "can-do" sort
of guy, he went ahead and implemented his plan without
consulting anyone else (or reading the MSDS).
For those who have never had to play with it, freon in the
presence of an open flame produces phosgene gas, a lovely
little compound that was one of the first chemical weapons
(way back in WW I).
Nobody died from the phosgene, but the idiot came dang close
to dying when the refrigeration technicians got hold of
him...
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