Hardin's Sysco Food Services, Inc. - Executive Summary |
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In this cold storage facility, (Hardin's Sysco Food Services, Inc.), we handle anhydrous ammonai which is considered hazardous by the EPA, OSHA, etc. The same properties that makes anhydrous ammonia valuable as a cold storage chemical, also makes it necessary to observe certain precautions in handling anhydrous ammonia for refrigeration purposes. Overall, the prevention of unnecessary human exposures, reducing the threat to our own personal helath as well as our co-workers, and reducing the threat to nearby members of the community is the main goal of incorporating this Risk Management Plan into our daily operations. It is our policy to adhere to all applicable federal and state rules and regulations. Safety depends upon the manner in which we handle and use anhydrous ammonia combined in coordination with the operations and maintenance procedures provided by the manufacturer of the ammonia refrigeration system, as well ass the training of our employees. The primary purpose of this facility is cold storage/warehousing by refrigerating storage room via ammonia system. The refrigeration system supplies 11 cooling areas throughout the property. Anhydrous ammonia is liquified under pressure in the storage vessel which is lcoated on the roof of the mechanical room. This liquid ammonia is condensed and cooled through the utilization of the refrigeration system. The maximum amount of anhydrous ammonia in the system at any one time is 12,500 pounds. Our employee (maintenance) conduct proper start-up procedures as listed in the manufacturer's (Cook & Nichol, Inc.) Opertion & Maintenance manual for the refrigeration system. These personnel also review the operating procedures and maintenance tasks when needed to insure the proper and safe use of the ammonia in the refrigeration system to aid in the prevention of accidental releases of ammonia. The maintenance tasks are visually conducted daily, and monthly system ckecks are completed. Any actual system maintenance is completed as needed. The mechanical integrity of the system is completed by keeping a listing of parts recommended by the manufacturer for change-out if and when needed. Rawls Refrigeration is the local refirgeration contractor who helps to insure that all maintenance and system change-out is completed properly. The refrigeration technician on staff assists in the mechanical integrity and general maintenance up-keep of the system. The facility has a Process Safety Management Plant which is being incorporated into the daily routine to comply with the Level 3 Prevention Program Requirements. They also have a Lock-out/Tag-out program, Hazard Communication program, Confined Space Program (if needed), and an Emergency Action Plan to aid in the prevention of accidental releases of anhydrous ammonia. These programs, along with the Process Safety Management Program comprise a huge portion of Hardin's Sysco Food Services prevention portion. The emergency response (action) program was developed with the assistance of Environmental Data Services, Inc., the Memphis Fire Department, and the Shelby County LEPC. If an anhydrous ammonia release occurs at the 4359 BF Goodrich Blvd. location, employees will notify Safety Director (Wayne Cox) of a release, and personnel will get organized for an emergency action and possible evacuation of the facility and surrounding affected areas. The emergency action plan consists of maintenance personnel isolating the release point and isolating the release by shutting of supply valves to the affected area, or a manual shutdown of the entire refrigeration system if necessary. If this action does not stop/mitigate the release of ammonia, evacuation procedures will begin. A head count will be made of employees according to shift rosters. The 911 call should have been made by this time to notify emergency response agencies (Memphis Fire Dept., and Shelby County LEPC) can aid in the mitigation and evacuation procedures. The worst cas e scenario is the faccilure of the storage vessel for anhydrous ammonia. This would be a release of 12,500 pounds of ammonia vapor into the atmosphere. Active mitigation was considered for this release, however, in a worst case scenario, all efforts and devices would fail. This release would result in a distqance to endpoint of 1.8 miles. The area surrounding the location is considered urban based on the high number of obstructions in the immediate area. The worst case scenario would impact approximately 11,300 persons. This information was determined by the use of RMP Comp, and Landview III software. An alternate release scenarion was completed for this facility baed on a release which occurred on September 24, 1996. This release was cause by human error, in combination with a relief valve failure caused by the constant re-start tries attempted by the operator. The re-start atempts caused the overpressurization of th relief valve, which allowed the release of approximately 100 0 pounds of ammonia in 15 minutes. This release of ammonia would have a distance to endpoint of approximately .19 miles. This relatively short distance to endpoint would impact approximately 130 persons around the site. Rawls Refrigeration and the Memphis Fire Department were called to the scene for mitigation and containment of the release. Rawls Refrigeration technicians located the release source, and replaced the valle. The memphis Fire Department helped to evacuate the facility and administer oxygen to three employees who were in the truck lot when the release occurred. There were no off-site impacts of any kind. |