FINA Oil and Chemical Company - La Porte Plant - Executive Summary |
|
Accidental Release Prevention and Response Policies FINA, as a member of Chemical Manufacturers Association, is committed to health, safety, and environmental protection, and to improvement in the performance of all company operations through the endorsement and implementation of Responsible Care.. We conduct our business according to these Responsible Care. principles: 7 To recognize and respond to community concerns about chemicals and our operations. 7 To develop and produce chemicals that can be manufactured, transported, used and disposed of safely. 7 To make health, safety and environmental considerations a priority in our planning for all-existing and new products and processes. 7 To report promptly to officials, employees, customers and the public, information on chemical-related health or environmental hazards and to recommend protective measures. 7 To counsel customers on the use, transportation and disposal of chemical products. 7 To operate our facility in a manner that pr otects the environment and the health and safety of our employees and the public. 7 To extend knowledge by conducting or supporting research on health, safety and environmental effects of our products, processes and waste materials. 7 To work with others to resolve problems created by past handling and disposal of hazardous substances. 7 To participate with government and others in creating responsible laws, regulations and standards to safeguard the community, workplace and environment. 7 To promote the principles and practices of Responsible Care. by sharing experiences and offering assistance to others who produce, handle, use, transport or dispose of chemicals. Facility Description We are located in the major industrial area southeast of Houston along the Houston Ship Channel. This area of Harris County is the largest concentration of oil refining and petrochemical facilities in the world. The FINA La Porte site is a major manufacturer of polypropylene plastics, 2.1 billion pou nds per year. The site utilizes propylene (regulated substance) as a raw material to produce the polymers. The propylene is transported by pipeline into the facility and stored in pressurized tanks. A catalyst is utilized to turn the liquid propylene into polypropylene. The polymer is then heated and melted for extrusion. The extruded plastic is pelletized and packaged primarily in railcars, boxes, or bags for shipment. This versatile plastic is used in a wide variety of consumer items such as carpeting, bottles and medical devices. Worst-Case and Alternative Release Scenarios Our worst-case scenario would involve a vapor cloud explosion. For this to occur we have to assume that all active safety systems failed and there is an instantaneous failure of a propylene storage tank. Under these conditions we would release the entire contents of the tank (450,000 pounds in 10 minutes). The impact of the explosion would be to our near industrial neighbors. There is a great improbabilit y of this occurring due largely to the mechanical integrity and inspection programs in the facility. Our alternative release scenario is also a vapor cloud explosion. This would involve a failure of a three-inch transfer line that would release 112,000 pounds of propylene. For this to have an offsite impact to our near industrial neighbors, all active safety systems would have to fail. It is much more likely that following such a release vapor detectors would trip the water deluge system to dissipate the release before it reached an explosive atmosphere. Also, the alarm system would alert our personnel to respond to the area to safely isolate the release. Accidental Release Prevention Program and Chemical Specific Prevention Steps The FINA La Porte site has a program to comply with the elements of OSHA's PSM standard. There are many accident prevention elements that are in place in the facility. We have pressure relief valves to vent gases to the flares to prevent atmospheric re leases. Remote equipment shutdowns are located in the units to allow employees to shutdown the plant equipment from a distance for quick, safe isolation. A preventive maintenance program is in place to ensure that equipment is appropriately maintained. Detailed operating procedures provide employees with sufficient information to operate the plant safely. Also, our operator-training program ensures that all operators are certified to run the plant. To minimize the hazards of a release, our emergency response program is extensive. Many engineering systems are in place in the field to reduce risks. Vapor and flame detection systems are strategically placed through out the process areas. These detection systems will automatically trip the water deluge systems and notify personnel of the specific area in which a situation exists. Process Hazard Analysis (PHA) techniques have been performed on all covered processes in the facility. All PHA recommendations have been risk ranked to d etermine potential severity and frequency. We have completed 85% of the recommendations. The remaining 15% (largely lower risk ranked items) of the recommendations are reviewed regularly for capital funding and priority. Five-Year Accident History We haven't had an incident involving a release of propylene at the facility that meets the EPA Risk Management (RMP) reporting requirements. There have been no releases of propylene at the La Porte Plant within the past five years that have had an adverse impact on the community. Emergency Response Program The FINA La Porte site is an active member in the La Porte Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) and with Channel Industries Mutual Aid (CIMA). Plant personnel are trained to respond to undesired process events. Drills, What If scenarios, process training, fire training, and Hazardous Waste and Emergency Response (HazWOPER) training enable our employees to respond quickly and safely to control a process hazard. Any additional re sources needed to control an emergency event will be provided immediately with the assistance of CIMA. We utilize the Community Awareness and Emergency Response (CAER) Hotline to notify our neighbors and the public of any unusual activities that are taking place in the facility. The public will be notified immediately through the local LEPC systems if offsite impact is expected. Planned Changes to Improve Safety The FINA La Porte facility is committed to reducing risk to eliminate employee exposure to accidental injury and to conditions adversely affecting their health. By protecting our employees, we in turn protect our neighbors as well. We have minimized risk by reducing the quantity of propylene that is stored on site. We have also switched from chlorine in our cooling tower system, to bleach. We will continue auditing our systems for continuous improvement. Currently, we are working on improving our rating in the International Safety Rating System (ISRS), a systematic meas ure of twenty of the best safety management practices. We will continue to operate in a manner that is safe for our people and our neighbors. We will meet or exceed all regulations concerning the environment. FINA's commitment is to the safety of people and preservation of the environment. |