Griffin Warehouse, Inc. Douglas - Executive Summary |
|
Griffin Warehouse, Inc has served the farming community in Douglas, Georgia for the past 30 years. We have a comprehensive emergency response plan and an accident prevention program in place at all of our facilities. We cooperate with public emergency planning agencies on a regular basis to develop and maintain contingency plans in case of an accidental release. All of our employees attend annual procedural safety and emergency response classes. This policy has allowed us to remain accident free for more than five years. Our aqueous ammonia tank is inspected on a regular basis to ensure safe reliable operation. The last comprehensive facility inspection was on March 23, 1999. A chain link fence to keep out unauthorized personnel encloses the facility. Safety placards are placed on the fence, on the tanks, and at fill stations. The facility's 25,000 gallon tank and piping are equipped with pressure relief valves and gauges to prevent overpressurization. The supply lines are eq uipped with excess flow devices that will automatically shut off the flow in the event of a pipe or transfer hose failure. The tanks and pipes also feature manual shutoff valves to stop and isolate a leak so that it can be repaired. The facility has a water purging system to clear any extraneous product from the transfer lines after use. There is a safety shower located at the facility. The worst case scenario indicate that businesses and residences offsite will be affected in the event of a catastrophic release. However we believe that our vigorous safety and emergency response programs greatly reduce the likelihood of this scenario from ever happening. The worst case model that produced this scenario was unable to take into account all of our mitigation and containment measures which would greatly reduce the toxic endpoint radius. Our tank is enclosed behind a three foot high containment dike that would reduce the evaporation of the spilled product. The alternative case relea se scenario is a more accurate assessment of risk to the community. In the alternate release scenario the toxic endpoint was less than a tenth of a mile and would not breach the borders of the facility. |