Linde Gas Inc. - Executive Summary

| Accident History | Chemicals | Emergency Response | Registration | Source | Executive Summary |

Linde Gas is committed to maintaining a safe and healthy workplace, to operate its facilities in an environmentally responsible manner, and assure the utmost care is taken in the manufacture and storage of its products. Linde Gas has adopted and will diligently follow, the guiding principles of the Responsible Care program, so as to achieve a safer workplace, improve employee health, minimize releases to the environment and a better informed public. Linde Gas actively participates in the LaPorte Citezen's Advisory Council and LaPorte Local Emergency Planning Committe through funding and commitment of plant personell time to these activities. The faci;ity has an established, and tested,  method for notifying our employees and surrounding community of an event which could, or would impact them. The complex has standard operating procedures in place which define responsibilities and reporting requirements, depending upon the nature of the emergency. The manufacturing complex has an Emerge 
ncy Response Team that is trained to respond to fire, hazardous materials, medical and rescue emergencies. Additionally, the complex is a member of the Channel Industries Mutual Aid organization and can call upon all of their expertise, manpower and equipment if needed. Millennium Petrochemicals falls under the OSHA Process Safety Managemnt(PSM) standard. Our facility has adopted these recognized 14 components of PSM to govern how we run all of our processes, not just those required by regulation. 
 
Linde Gas produces several final products at the LaPorte facility, methanol and syngas (which is a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen). Methanol is sold into the merchant market as well as being a feedstock for ther production of acetic acid. Syngas is seperated into carbon monoxide and hydrogen and sent via pipeline to other facilities for consumption. Linde Gas has one chemical which falls under the RMP regulations. This is propylene. The propylene is used as a refridgerant to generat 
e cryogenic temperatures which allow the seperation of syngas into carbon monoxide and hydrogen. The total volume of the system is 55,000 pounds. 
 
Linde Gass has conducted an offsite consequence analysis (OCA) to estimate the potential impact to offsite environmental receptors and the public for an accidental release of a regulated substance. The OCS evaluates both a worst-case (WCS) and an alternate release scenario (ARS). Linde GAs does not anticipate a WCS to occur, but has planned for and communicated the information concerning a WCS to the public. The ARS is a more realistic scenario. Alternate release scenarios are based upon a more likely set of circumstances.Information on the ARS and WCS have been presented and distributed to the public and the LaPorte LEPC. If you are interested in further information, please contact our RMP Coordinator at 713-767-1063. 
 
The WCS for a toxic material at our site is a failure of the propylene storage tank which allows the entire contents of the 
tank to spill to the ground and form a flammable vapor cloud which results in a vapor cloud explosion.The resulting pressure wave would not impact offsite environmental receptors or the public. The impact would be confined to the plant site. 
 
The ARS for propylene involves the failure of a tank flange allowing the entire contens of the tank to escape and form a vapor cloub which then expoldes. There would be no offsite impact to environmental receptors or the public. 
 
Linde Gas maintains an active accident prevention program consisting of many elements. The LaPorte site falls under the Risk Management Program (RMP) and Process Safety Management (PSM) .standard. Linde Gas goes beyond the reuirements of the PSM standard by adopting these procedures for all processes at the facility, not just covered processes. The LaPorte facility has an in-depth training program for operators. this program includes standrd operating procedures, mentoring, on-the-job traing, and testing. Our SOPs are re 
viewed annually by professional staff and technicians. Linde Gas utilizes contractors for plant maintenance and other projects. A qualification procedure has been established for these contractors which examines their safety records, procedures and training. All on-site contractors participate in the facility safety programs. Linde Gas maintains a Request for change (RFC) and Management of change (MOC) process. Employees and contractors participate in both these programs. Linde Gas has a predictive and preventaive maintenance program inplace and uses risk based evaluations to validate and revise the program. The site has a comprehensive work permit procedure covering all types of work including; hot work, confined space entry, cold work and excavation. Linde Gas uses third party auditing to verify safety, health, environmental and mechanical integrity throughout the facility. The facility conducts weekly safety and housekeeping audits of all plant areas. Safety information is a priorit 
y communication to enmployees. Lind Gas has adopyted the Responsible Care program 
 
No releases of the RMP covered chemical at the Linde Gas LaPorte facility has occurred in the last five years that has resulted in any fatalities, injuries, or significant damage both onsite or offsite, or environmental receptors offsite. 
 
Linde Gas has a written Emergency Response Plan (ERP) for the protection of employees, contractors, visitors, the public and environmental receptors. The ERP details how employees should report a variety of emergencies, including fire, hazardous materials release, medical and rescue situatioons.Actions to be taken by all onsite personnel are detailed in the ERP. The LaPorte Complex maintains an Emergency Response Team with personnel trained (to the applicable standard) to respond and actively mitigate in fire and hazardous materials emergencies. Additionally, the ERT has medical and rescue trained personnel for these situations. The complex is a member of Channel Indus 
tries Mutual Aid (CIMA) which gives the facility access to all the manpower, expertise and equipment of the other 100+ members. Millennium Petrochemicals reguarley has drills to test the ERP    and ERT response. Changes are made based upon these drills. 
 
Linde Gas reguarly reviews all areas of plant safety. These reviews involve all levels of the organization from Plant Manager to technician. There are procedures in place that allow any employee to stop a process or job and question any safety aspect of that job. Linde Gass has a regular schedule to review and revise standard operating procedures.
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