LOW OXYGEN AND HIGH CARBON DIOXIDE ENVIRONMENT IN CONTROLLED ATMOSPHERE COLD STORAGE: RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SAFE WORKING CONDITIONS

Controlled Atmosphere (CA) storage warehouses are being installed by private and public sector companies in India since the year 2006. Controlled atmosphere storage keeps low temperature, low oxygen and high carbon dioxide to keep fruits and vegetables for longer periods than cold stores. C A Chambers door is sealed hermetically after loading with fruit. Oxygen level is maintained below 2% and the Co2 level by nearly 1-2%. This will help in reduced respiration by fruits and vegetables, thereby extending shelf life. Workman entering the sealed chamber is very dangerous for their life due to the non-availability of oxygen to breathe. Since the operation of CA Chambers is a new process to India, most of the stores don’t have a proper protocol to address this issue. So the present study is undertaken to identify the issues related to human working and machinery maintenance within a sealed low oxygen chamber. A proper protection mechanism is necessary to detect and protect if any human enters by mistake. This study is aimed to suggest mechanisms and protocols for avoiding accidental entry of humans into the sealed low oxygen chamber and prevent the accidental deaths.