CountryStar Co-op - Ridgeton Branch - Executive Summary |
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Country Star Co-op Inc. - Ridgeton Country Star Co-op is a farmer owned business serving Crawford and surrounding Counties. We are committed to the safety and well being of our employees, community and the environment. Through regular safety training in areas such as hazard awareness, daily operating guidelines, and worker protection Country Star employees have minimized any potential risk of a hazardous release due to human error. If an accident were to occur, our emergency response policies would take effect to ensure the proper calls were made and emergency response crews would respond in a timely manner. The Ridgeton facility is located approximately 7 miles north of Bucyrus in the small town of Ridgeton. The facility is equiped to handle fertilizer, crop protection products, and also has a grain facility. Anhydrous Ammonia is a fertilizer used by farmers as the most economical source of nitrogen used to grow crops. The maximum quantity of Anhydrous stored at the facility is 25,500 gallons or 131,000 pounds in a single 30,000 gallon tank. The worst-case scenario would be a total release of the entire tank filled to capacity. The tank would rupture and the entire contents released in a matter of 10 minutes. The total impact zone that a release could cover to an end point of 200 ppm would be approximately 2.60 miles. This area would include 243 homes and approximately 688 people. The alternative release scenario could be a release of Anhydrous through a transfer hose. The hose is 2 inches and the line would release 5,954 per minute. The release would occur for two minutes beforeactions could be taken to stop the release. At this rate 11,908 pounds would be released and it would cover 1.18 miles before an dispersion rate of 200ppm would be reached. Approximately 157 people in 55 households are within this area. Country Star Co-op has never had a release of a Anhydrous storage tank that has caused any deaths, injuries, or property damage at th e facility or to the environment. A written Emergency Response plan that complies with OSHA 29 CFR 1910.38 has been implemented and is retrained annually. New hires will receive training as part of their new employee orientation. State and local authorities are provided with all the pertinent information so that emergency planning and community right-to-know information can be obtained and used, this is known as SARA Title III. It is the policy of Country Star to remain proactive in accident prevention and to minimize any potential loss in the event of a release. Safety improvement is an ongoing process at the facility. State and local agencies will continue to conduct yearly inspections and repair requirements. Through regular maintenance, and routine inspections we will continue to run a safe business. |