261 A.D. 1099 | N.Y. App. Div. | 1941
Appeal by plaintiffs from a judgment dismissing the complaint as to respondents at the end of plaintiffs’ case. Plaintiffs, members of the fire department of the city of New York, sued to recover damages for injuries sustained by the inhalation of certain noxious gases released from a refrigerating unit, due to the decomposition of certain chemicals therein contained, when the unit caught fire from unknown causes. Respondent Kinetic Chemicals, Inc., was the manufacturer of a chemical known as Freon, used as a refrigerant in the unit. Respondent Carrier Engineering Corporation was the manufacturer of the air-cooling unit which contained, when sold by that respondent, about five pounds of Freon refrigerant. Freon was purchased from Kinetic and placed in the air-conditioning unit by Carrier before the sale of the unit to the dealer, respondent Quinn Engineering Co., tne. The latter sold the unit to respondent J. de Leo & Co., Inc., and, at its request, installed it in a fur storage vault in the premises occupied by de Leo in the borough of Manhattan, city of New York, where de Leo was engaged in the business of manufacturing and selling fur coats. The unit was connected with the electric current by the ordinary eléetric plug attachment, and was connected with the water supply of the city by pipes securely fastened to it, so as to become non-portable. The Code of Ordinances of the City of New York, chapter 10 (Explosives and Hazardous Trades), article 18 (Refrigerating Systems), section 216, provides that it is unlawful to maintain or operate a refrigerating system, such as the one here involved, without first obtaining a permit from the fire commissioner of the city of New York. Section 220 of the same chapter, subdivision 2, paragraph (a), provides that a refrigerating machinery room of any system, which includes the one herein, shall be independently provided with means of adequate ventilation to the outer air, consisting of a window or windows opening directly to the open air, or with mechanical means capable of exhausting the foul air from the room. There was no ventilation or mechanical means therefor in the storage