This resource does not replace the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) and its regulations and should not be used as or considered legal advice. Health and safety inspectors apply these laws based on the facts they find in the workplace.

Hazard summary

Positive-pressure fans or blowers are used in the fire service to ventilate smoke and heat. Recently, a few minutes after a firefighter started a gas-powered positive-pressure fan to ventilate a room, parts of the fan blade assembly broke apart. Several pieces penetrated the protective screen on the front of the fan housing and lodged in the ceiling.

Affected fans

This hazard affects positive-pressure fans manufactured by Super Vacuum Manufacturing Company, Inc., Model 720G4, delivered before August 1992. These have 20 inch (51 cm) fan blades made of aluminum.

Suggested precautions

All fans of this type should be inspected on a regular basis as recommended by the manufacturer. Fan assemblies that show cracks or other defects should immediately be taken out of service and returned to the manufacturer for repair.

Key legal requirements

Section 25(1)(b) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act requires the employer to ensure that "equipment, materials and protective devices provided by the employer are maintained in good condition."