| ORFA RESOURCES |
GUIDELINE AND BEST PRACTICE
Design & Construction of Ice Sheet Refrigeration Plant Rooms Guideline
Version 2.0 Issue Date: March 2026
Disclaimer
This resource is not intended to represent professional advice on the subject matter but rather discuss and highlight historical designs while providing open conversation on operator health and safety considerations for minimum regulatory compliance obligations in plant room designs for ice sheet operations. It is recommended that users of this resource seek technical advice from appropriate design and construction professionals, using this resource as a catalyst in developing a design that exceeds minimum regulatory compliance requirements.
Background
Ice sheet recreation refers to any mechanically assisted refrigerated facility that uses a refrigerant to provide an artificial ice recreational experience. The traditional ice arena that was first designed for hockey and offset this need with figure skating, ringette and broom ball was supported with curling as a standalone facility. Today, many other recreational activities such as outdoor skating pads and trails are mechanically support with a refrigeration plant that houses all equipment needed to provide the cycle of refrigeration. Designing such an assembly of mechanical devices requires careful consideration of several detailed elements for the design, construction and eventual operation of all equipment.
Design Requirements-CSA B52, TSSA and OHSA
Minimum design requirements for all registered ice sheet industrial refrigeration plant rooms are set out in the current CSA B52:23 Mechanical Refrigeration Code (MRC). Ontario’s Boiler and Pressures Vessels (BPV) Regulation 220/01 and Operating Engineers (OE) Regulation 219/01 will provide additional direction on equipment and operator obligations. While Ontario’s Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) should also be referenced pending the refrigerants being used in the removal and transfer heat. A history of common design measures and information is shared for the benefit of an understanding what should be considered when constructing or retrofitting an ice sheet plant room.
Point of Clarification #1
All legislative and/or regulatory obligations are minimum legal obligations to be met. Owners of industrial refrigeration plant rooms should consider that the design and construction of any infrastructure will have a minimum 50-year lifecycle. Planning to exceed current legislative requirements to ensure safe operations into the future is considered diligent.
Design and Construction: Classes of Machinery Rooms
Currently, many of Ontario’s industrial refrigeration ice sheet plant rooms registered with the TSSA are designed and constructed to meet the requirements for machinery rooms for flammable refrigerants, formerly Class T machine rooms, which in this industry is primarily focused on ammonia refrigeration plants as per the current version of the CSA B52 MRC. However, while this has been an industry accepted refrigerant and design type, alternative refrigerants and classifications do exist and continue to evolve as technology and equipment advancements are implemented. This includes but is not limited to C02 and A2L refrigerants, which are now also referenced in the B52 MRC. The ORFA recognizes the many other refrigerants used in ice sheet refrigeration systems; however, this resource will primarily focus on consideration for the design of a newly constructed or retrofitted flammable machinery room utilizing ammonia as the primary refrigerant.
Point of Clarification #2
The CSA B52 MRC has gone through several revisions since first introduced. Currently, there is no legal requirement of plant owners to update existing plants to current standards. Governing authorities such as the Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA), the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development (MLITSD) and/or the assets insurance company through a boiler and pressure vessel inspectors’ recommendations may recommend or require an update to current standards. It is recommended that the owner/facility manager consider retaining a qualified person as part of a robust asset management plan to evaluate existing design and construction to determine gaps when compared to the most current CSA B52 MRC standards without being directed by an outside agency. Where reasonable, upgrades through ongoing capital investment are strongly recommended.
Why have we attached the Refrigeration Plant to the Ice Facility?
Historically, ice facilities have always attached the plant room to the building. This was performed for operational convenience: however, these indirect systems require a variety of safety considerations as part of the design. In these designs, all refrigerant containing parts except piping, low side components, condensers or cooling towers, and parts outside the building must be installed to meet and be maintained to regulated requirements.Refrigerant and Equipment Innovation
In the past decade, there has been significant investment by refrigerant manufacturers to develop a variety of different refrigerants. It is predicted that this interest in developing energy efficient and environmentally sustainable refrigerants will continue. Construction of machinery rooms should include review of these advancements and selection of the most feasible and effective refrigerants for the designed system.
In addition, advancement in equipment design has resulted in equipment that requires “low charges” of refrigerants. More efficient compressors, chillers and other equipment assist in reducing the amount of refrigerant while still providing a quality ice sheet, which inherently reduces the risk associated with its use. As with any new technology a higher initial capital cost may occur but should be reviewed as a long term financial and sustainable decision. These types of investments should be explored based on the physical location of the ice sheet and the risk a significant refrigerant release may cause. For example, C02 refrigerants dramatically reduces the risk of a release however, these same systems operate at a much higher pressure. Whereas a traditional ammonia system may operate at lower pressure and refrigerant charge but has a higher acute toxicity. Proper training of operators and investing in equipment maintenance and asset management plans will help minimize any risks but not eliminate them regardless of the choices of installation.
Point of Clarification #3
Plant owners should carefully research any new technology prior to investing. As a benefit of membership, the ORFA offers access to more than 8000 members that may be able to assist in real time experience and benchmarking to help support owners in the identification and selection of refrigerants and equipment. Additional requirements for various refrigerant groups are now identified in the B52 MRC.
Advanced Safety Devices and Plant Monitoring
Ice sheet refrigeration systems are referred to as “guarded plants”, as defined by TSSA. This identification indicates that the system is under constant monitoring by a variety of devices that will shut the plant down and immediately alarm should any of these devices exceed the recommended pressure or set points. Alarms may be local, as in audible and visual on site for operators and possible public awareness, as well as dispatched by alarm monitoring third parties via email or call outs to staff and in extreme cases emergency services. In addition, direct digital control (DDC) technology now allows the plant “user” or their designate such as other staff or a service contractor to continually monitor plant conditions remotely. There was a time that such an option was considered a luxury however, in today's health and safety, liability, and reliability climate, investing in these options are considered standard operating practice.Point of Clarification #4
The plant owner must understand that investment in monitoring devices does not reduce the responsibility to have well-trained and competent operators on staff. Plant/Facility operators must be considered the most critical component of safe plant operations with all other devices and services assisting these individuals in their responsibilities.
Operator and Public Safety
All ice sheet industrial refrigeration plant design and construction should be undertaken with maximum human life protection as the priority. Health and safety regulations under the OHSA set worker safety expectation as doing everything “reasonable” to ensure they remain risk and hazard free. The size and design of the refrigeration plant, attended vs unattended, will dictate the required level of strict competency of the persons in care and control of this system. Not having a set regulatory obligation as an unattended plant does not allow for operating with staff who are not qualified to ensure public safety. Researching and understanding the regulated responsibilities associated with the selected system is strongly recommended.Point of Clarification #5
This benchmark should be a standard guiding principle when designing ice sheet industrial refrigeration plant rooms. In addition to the built-up environment, operator training, emergency preparedness, asset management and ongoing review of operating procedures should be areas of focus to enhance staff and public safety in public occupancy facilities.
Basic Ice Sheet Industrial Refrigeration Plant Room Design Principles
The following is provided as suggested design principles for ice sheet industrial plant rooms, and includes an investment by owners in understanding each item to effectively construct a safe and efficient machinery room:1. Constructing the plant room to the main building or adjacent to public occupancy areas sets one pathway of regulatory responsibilities which is much higher than if the plant room is a standalone structure away from the primary public areas of the building. Discussing the feasibility of having a standalone structure to service the facility should form part of the planning process.
a. Gaining popularity are systems best described as a large air conditioning unit big enough to handle ice sheet heat loads while heat pump designs are continuing to be refined to better serve our industry. These options completely remove the need to have any form of a traditional plant room. Alternatively, if proceeding with traditional built up or packaged systems and engine rooms, evaluating the safe placement of the room away from high public occupancy areas is strongly recommended.
2. Plant room egress is an important part of operator safety planning. Designing the room so that an egress door to the outside may act as an escape route for workers in an emergency. This will further act as an entry point for emergency services personal as well as an easy access point for service contractors. These doors must open outward, be self-closing, include panic hardware, be fire rated and be tight fitting to reduce the movement of plant chemicals and other equipment through public areas of an ice facility.
3. Design the room with appropriate spacing for the ease for maintenance and equipment replacement to occur, including examples such as appropriate door sizes, gantry frames on stairs, or knock out wall panels. While this is easier in new construction, it should be reviewed in any major retrofit for any potential expansion. Consider that all large equipment will have a maximum projected lifecycle of 25-years (there may be exceptions). Regardless, consider how capital improvements will be undertaken when required.
4. Mechanical rooms are not to be used as ad hoc storage locations. The only equipment and materials permitted to be stored in these locations are items required to operate and maintain the system. All shelving and storage systems should be industrial rated. Including a comfortable area for the plant user to house a controls computer, plant operation and training manuals, logbooks and other related materials should be considered. A work area to assist operators and service contractors in maintaining the plant would be appreciated.
5. Consider mounting a condenser or cooling tower on a stand rather than the roof of the plant room. If a condenser is mounted on a roof it will need to be a flat roof with appropriate structural reinforcements. For existing designs, this may require the addition of reinforcements to meet current code requirements. Design the condenser placement with ease of access, ensuring that any fall from height protection requirements is being met.
6. The ORFA believes that a properly designed vestibule area leading into the plant room is a critical component of operator safety. When designed properly, these areas can house important detection devices, ventilation controls and procedural information, a secure place for personal protective equipment to be stored. Some plants have been installing code rated windows that allow operators to visually check monitoring equipment prior to entering the vestibule.
7. Investing in proper, heating, lighting, drainage, and use storage of toxic and noxious chemicals (e.g. water treatment systems) that are associated with the plant room design are essential worker safety tools.
8. Regulated requirements for alarm detection systems should be increased to include other areas of the facility so that operators can be made aware of plant conditions if they are not in the proximity of the plant room. This may include the addition of audible and visual alarms in public occupancy areas.
9. A detailed review of requirements for the installations of refrigerant sensors and detection systems, eyewash and deluge showers, and respiratory protection requirements for workers is a critical component of the rooms design. For existing facilities, a review to determine if installation of these devices in compliance with current regulations is strongly encouraged.
10. The plant room ventilation system should be designed to purge a significant refrigerant leak. Exceeding minimum legislated design standards is strongly recommended. It is also recommended to evaluate existing plant deficiencies in air exchange in advance of any refrigeration plant renewals.
11. The plant room floor should be finished with a highly durable coating that will ease the housekeeping duties of the plant room.
Conclusion
It is hoped that this resource will assist the ice sheet industry to consider the importance of investing in the design of refrigeration machinery rooms that are functional, well laid out and safe for the lifespan of the facility. We invite our members to share their ideas and experiences on the plant room designs with us at info@orfa.com
COPYRIGHT © 2022 ONTARIO RECREATION FACILITIES ASSOCIATION INC.
DISCLAIMER: While the Ontario Recreation Facilities Association Inc. (ORFA) does its best to provide useful general information and guidance on matters of interest to its members, statutes, regulations and the common law continually change and evolve, vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and are subject to differing interpretations and opinions. The information provided by the ORFA is not intended to replace legal or other professional advice or services. The information provided by the ORFA herein is provided “as is” and without any warranty, either express or implied, as to its fitness, quality, accuracy, applicability or timeliness. Before taking any action, consult an appropriate professional and satisfy yourself about the fitness, accuracy, applicability or timeliness of any information or opinions contained herein. The ORFA assumes no liability whatsoever for any errors or omissions associated with the information provided herein and furthermore assumes no liability for any decision or action taken in reliance on the information contained in these materials or for any damages, losses, costs or expenses in any way connected to it. ORFA documents are made available as a benefit of membership and are always open for suggested edits, corrections and improvements. Further, all ORFA resources are restricted for use by members in good standing for awareness and education purposes only. We ask that ORFA resources not be uploaded to the internet.
ONTARIO RECREATION FACILITIES ASSOCIATION INC. • 1 CONCORDE GATE, SUITE 102, TORONTO, ON M3C 3N6 • 416.426.7106 • ORFA.COM • EMAIL US