Worker’s death blamed on HVAC refrigerant leak
20th November 2022
USA: The death of a maintenance worker at an arena in Augusta, Georgia, on Friday evening has been blamed on a refrigerant leak from an HVAC system.
The victim, named as 66-year-old Rex Broadwater, is reported to have responded to a “gas leak” from an HVAC system at the city’s James Brown Arena. The cause of death is unconfirmed and the matter is under investigation.
Plans are currently underway to replace the current arena, which was built in 1972 and has previously been described as “functionally obsolete” due to its age and condition. It has been argued that renovations would require millions of dollars and most of the current systems need major renovations, including its HVAC system.
The arena had previously hosted the Augusta RiverHawks ice hockey team until 2013 when the arena’s ice system malfunctioned.
