This already happens. The most common AC repair needed is a new capacitor. It's a $20 part.
Call your dad's business, you probably get a quote for $100-ish and it's fixed in ten minutes.
Call a PE owned shop and they are likely to tell you that your entire system needs replaced. Quote $5-$8k.
Reports like this are already common place, and the roll-ups of former small-businesses in industry like HVAC that the PE people celebrate will only make this worse for customers.
Going to Ferguson.com and ordering a replacement capacitor to have on hand for $30 works even better.
It’s literally just turning off the power to the compressor, using a screwdriver to open the panel, unplugging the old capacitor, and plugging a new one in.
Regardless .. discharge the cap, blown or not.
Clear the chamber, even if you removed the magazine and checked it yesterday.
etc.
The general principles of health and safety are intended to be largely overkill and mostly not strictly required, they're in place for that one time that kills or injures.