Nordan Smith Welding Supplies - Executive Summary |
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1. In this facility, we fill acetylene cylinders which may be considered hazardous by the EPA. The same properties that make acetylene valuable as a fuel also makes it necessary to observe certain safety precautions in handling acetylene to prevent unnecessary human exposure, to reduce the threat to our own personal health as well as our co-workers, and to reduce the threat to nearby members of the community. It is our policy to adhere to all applicable Federal and State rules and regulations. Safety depends upon the manner in which we handle acetylene combined with the safe handling procedures that we use and the training of our personnel. Our emergency response program has been developed using information obtained from the Compressed Gas Association and the National Welding Supply Association. The emergency response plan includes procedures for notification of the local fire department and notification of potentially affected neighbors. 2. The primary purpose of this facility is to repackage and distribute acetylene cylinders to both retail facilities and wholesale facilities. Acetylene is received in bulk form on trailers. There are three trailers at our facility with a capacity of 4800 lbs per trailer with a maximum inventory of 14,500 lbs. The acetylene is removed from the trailers through compressors and distributed into DOT-8 cylinders. The cylinders are then distributed by trucks and trailers. Access to this site is restricted to authorized facility employees, authorized management personnel and authorized contractors. The regulated substance at this facility is acetylene. 3. Worst Case Scenario - Failure of all acetylene trailers and their contents when full would release 14,500 lbs. of acetylene. The entire contents will be released as vapor which finds an ignition source. The distance to the endpoint of 1psi for worst-case is .2 miles as determined using the RMP*Comp. Version 1.04. This worst-case scenario is highly unlikely due to the fact that all 540 cylinders would have to fail at the same time. Alternate Scenario - A release through piping failure. The release of gas through a piping failure would be 2.04 lbs per minute. The distance to the endpoint for the lower flammability limit for the alternate scenario is less than .1 mile. This scenario is unlikely due to the piping in the entire facility is inspected for leaks at least monthly. 4. This facility complies with EPA's Accidential Release Prevention Rule and with all applicable state codes and regulations. This facility was designed and constructed in accordance with NFPA 51A and OSHA regulations gegarding acetylene facilities. All of our employees have been trained as required by the Hazardous Materials Regulations per the Department of Transportation. 5. There has been no accidential release fo any acetylene from our facility. 6. This facilities Emergency Response Plan is based upon information obtained from the Compressed Gas Association and t he National Welding Supply Association. We have discussed this plan with the Forrest/Lamar Emergency Planning Committee and the Hattiesburg Fire Department. We also have the Hattiesburg Fire Department visit our facility on a regular basis so that they are familiar with our facility and process. The fire department also participates in our testing of our deluge system annually. We have supplied the Hattiesburg Fire Department Training Academy with vessels used to store acetylene so they can train their personnel on the specifics of our industry. 7. This facility was constructed in 1994 and is in compliance with NFPA 51A standard and OSHA regulations regarding acetylene. It is our policy to continue improving safety through training, the installation of new equipment as it becomes available. Continued improvements in safety is our commitment to both our employees and community. |