We were asked by one of our clients to project manage the Al Raayan Stadium in Doha, Qatar to survey the air conditioning systems in preparation for the World Cup in Qatar 2022 and put together extensive risk assessments and method statements for the safe removal of the air conditioning systems and ozone depleting refrigerant R22.
Qatar and the Middle East are renowned for their lack of health and safety and have seen huge casualties within the construction industry. To insure the safety of all operatives the site was run to UK health and safety standards and all staff operating on site had to adhere to strict method statements for all tasks.
Luke reclaiming refrigerant from an air conditioning condenser
Various challenges were placed in front of us. Qatar are not part of the Kyoto or Montreal protocol therefore they have no F-Gas regulations. There were over 200 air conditioning systems on site with 50% of these to be re used, and there was no power to 90% the air conditioning systems. Also, some units were positioned in hard to reach areas or at extremely high level with minimal edge protection. All this combined with the intense heat of 45C made all these issues even more difficult to overcome and to continue with the site programme.
Once our RAMs were approved the plan was handed over to a local air conditioning company to carry out the works. However, due to the extent of the RAMs the client felt it was best for us to oversee the removal and decommission of the air conditioning.