Dandy Cooling Co LLC - Executive Summary

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

RMP Executive Summary 
 
 
Dandy Cooling Co, LLC; is a facility located in Salinas, CA in a commercial/ industrial area of the city.  The facility was built in the early 1980's but operated by another entity until February of 1999 where Dandy Cooling LLC became owner and tenant.  The facility provides refrigeration effect for the removal of field heat from freshly harvested vegetables.  The refrigerant in use is anhydrous ammonia (NH3 ).  The product that comes to the facility for pre-cooling and short term storage is on site generally for four days from harvesting.  The facility is a seasonally operated plant with product harvest periods picking up in the month of April and finishing in October.  The remaining months see little fresh product, however the refrigeration equipment is still operative.  Annual maintenance is performed on the equipment during February and March. 
 
Dandy Cooling, LLC; is supported by an affiliate company, Western Precooling Systems (WPS ), for maintenance and se 
rvice of the refrigeration equipment.  WPS has offices and staff in Salinas 1 mile from the facility.  WPS employs mechanical staff that has been trained for CFR 1910.120(q) emergency response, as well as technical training for the tasks they perform as it relates to the refrigeration equipment.  One of the avenues for training that WPS uses is through the Refrigerating Engineers and Technicians Association (RETA).  WPS sponsors its technicians in that trade association and has personnel who have challenged and successfully passed the RETA Plant Operators Certification Examination.  Other training is through offsite seminars and on-the-job skill development.  Bi-weekly safety tailgate meetings help keep the message of safe operating and safe work behaviors in the foreground of the employee's thinking. 
 
WPS performs plant inspections at the facility.  As equipment maintenance needs are determined the need is expressed at the weekly work load meeting conducted by WPS's area manager.  The 
specific repair task or upgrade for the expressed need is decided at the workload meeting and assigned with a due date.  Minutes are maintained of the workload meetings.  Through this regular routine of inspect, discuss, assign and confirmation of completion Dandy Cooling and WPS have reduced the equipment operational problems and also reduced the release potential. 
 
In 1995 modifications to the refrigeration system were made.  A high pressure receiver was added to more effectively handle the daily variances of apparent liquid level at the high side of the system.  In 1996 decided to reduce its offsite consequence potential by piping all high side relief valves to a water absorbing tank.  Relief valve excursions were identified as the most common unwanted release situation and by routing to a secondary containment system the effects of a relief situation no longer affected people on-site, nor off-site.  The second most common unwanted release situation involved the process of oil remo 
val from the low-pressure portion of the system.  Special self-closing valves were installed as a permissive for oil drain flow.  If a release were to develop during the oil-draining task the mechanic simply releases the handle of the self-closing valve and flow is terminated.  WPS has installed these types of valves at oil drain points. 
 
Other release prevention steps taken at Dandy Cooling, LLC: 
7 Dandy Cooling  is enclosing the facility with fencing and gates to limit access to the facility to increase the security of the facility from potential "wrong-do-er's". 
7 All employees are trained for hazard communication ( discovery and communicating ) for releases, fires, vandal's etc.  Training is documented through the "Personal Qualifications Standard" booklet which is in each employees training record file. 
7 A strong relationship exists with the Monterey County Health  Department.  WPS has worked closely with County Health in the planning and execution of community ammonia awareness  
and safety days presented at the local community college (6th annual). 
7 There is an automatic dialing machine that is connected to temperature and power monitors.  When there is an equipment failure, or when the temperatures are rising, or if there is a power failure, this auto dialer begins calling out to eight successive phone numbers to summon technicians to solve the problem. 
7 Dandy Cooling, LLC proactively trains its personnel in the benefits of good housekeeping.  There is a staff to maintain the general appearance of the facility on a day to day basis. 
 
The policy at Dandy Cooling, LLC is to not have emergencies.  This is accomplished by due diligence with the thoughts of "prevention, preparation, mitigation, response & recovery".  There have been no reportable releases at Dandy Cooling, LLC in the past five years.  However, there is a need to be prepared to respond to and mitigate a release situation.  The Dandy Cooling, LLC; staff is trained to communicate to WPS and the Fir 
e Department and to evacuate ( shelter in place or evacuate off site ) when there is a release situation or fire.  Dandy Cooling, LLC; employees and managers are trained to shepherd visitors ( truck drivers receiving product or delivering product ) when there is an emergency.  By effectively determining all persons are safe, the integrated emergency response with the Salinas Fire can more swiftly manage the tactical part of the response. 
 
WPS has trained individuals ( CFR 1910.120(q) First Responder Technician ) who are trained to respond to, size up and mitigate a release situation.  WPS personnel have served as industry liaison at the incident command during response situations and as entry team participants at other facilities in Oxnard and Ventura County over the years (again, the problem was not at Dandy Cooling, LLC).
Click to return to beginning