Laurens Park - Executive Summary |
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Laurens Park facility of the Commercial division of Mohawk Industries is located in a rural setting approximately one mile from East Dublin, Georgia city limits. Laurens Park manufactures commercial grade carpet. Processes include yarn and carpet dyeing, yarn finishing, tufting/weaving and coating. Laurens Park uses only two toxic chemicals which may present a minimal risk to employees and local residents. Safety of our team members and the community is of the utmost importance. Every effort is made to minimize hazards that could result in an emergency situation. Safe removal of people from endangered areas to the ouside or into adjacent safe areas has the highest priority. Emergency plans are documented to manage internal situations involving fire, explosions, chemical spills, gas releases, bomb threats and severe weather conditions. Communication to local emergency authorities is included in the plan. Training in emergency procedures is provided to all management personnel e very two years. Aqua ammonia (29%) is used as a dyeing agent in the Beck Dye and Skein Dye processes. There have been no accidental releases of aqua ammonia in the past five years. The maximum amount of ammonia in each process is 4,000 lbs. stored in sealed plastic 55-gallon drums. Only one drum is open at a time. Ammonia is dispensed in small amounts (5 gallon maximum) for batch processing. A spill kit is available in the dispensing and storage areas to contain and clean up spills safely and rapidly. Respirator equipment is also available for protecting personnel when cleaning up spills. The worst-case release scenario for an ammonia spill will present no danger to residents. The distance to toxic endpoint is 0.6 miles from the plant. There are no residences within this circle. Chlorine is used for groundwater and wastewater treatment. There have been no accidental releases of chlorine in the past five years. A maximum of 900 lbs. of chlorine is stored in six pressurize d cylinders. The worst-case release scenario will affect residents with 1.5 miles of the plant (approximately 800). Limited amounts are kept on site: four cylinders in service and two additional cylinders for resupply. All cylinders are secured with chains. Chlorine is dispensed automatically into the process and waste water systems using a vacuum system. The chlorine gas dispensing is never under pressure. The chlorinator is clamped directly onto the cylinder valve with a strong, corrosion resistant yoke. The chlorinator is a two-cylinder, automatic switchover system. Chlorine is drawn from the cylinder by a vacuum created by the flow of water through the ejector. If any part of the system is damaged, the gas shuts off immediately and automatically. The ejector that creates the vacuum which draws the chlorine gas from the cylinder is made of strong corrosion resistant plastic. The chlorinator high back pressure check valve is made of chlorine resistant material. A separat e low back pressure check valve uses a very strong closing spring and a large-area diaphragm, to minimize friction loss or pressure drop across the check valve area. An audible leak detector with battery back-up is installed in a locked enclosure to provide a warning of chlorine leaks as low as 1 PPM. All chlorine systems are under a maintenance contract and are serviced regularly by qualified technicians. Operators are fully trained in chlorine handling and emergency response procedures. A self-contained breathing apparatus is available to the operator in case of emergency. |