Chem Gro of Houghton Inc. - Executive Summary |
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The Facility Policy: The owners, management, and employees of Chem Gro of Houghton Inc. are committed to the prevention of any accidental releases of anhydrous ammonia. If an accidental release should occur, the facility is prepared to work with the local fire department, or other authorities, to mitigate any release and minimize the impact of the release to people and the environment. Facility Information: The primary activities at this facility is the storage of fertilizers for sale to farmers. Anhydrous ammonia is received, stored, and distributed for direct application as a crop production nutrient. The maximum quantity stored would be 84,000 pounds of ammonia in our single 18,000 gallon storage tank. Worst-Case Release Scenarios: The toxic worst-case release scenario for anhydrous ammonia would be the release of the total contents of our storage tank released as a gas over 10 minutes. The maximum quantity released would be 84,000 pounds, which represents the volume of th e largest storage tank at 85% capacity as limited by design standards. Based on the DEGADIS model, the distance to the endpoint (point of dispersion to 200 ppm) is 0.85 miles. There are several residences, a recreation area, and some commercial/industrial buildings within this area for a total population of 220. Alternative Release Scenarios: The toxic alternative release scenario for anhydrous ammonia based on the most likely potential incident is a 26,638 pound release from a break in a transfer hose. Based on the DEGADIS model, the distance to the endpoint (point of dispersion to 200 ppm) is 0.59 miles. There are several residences, a recreation area, and some commercial/industrial buildings within this area for a total population of 194. Accidental Release Prevention Programs: Our facility has implemented the provisions of "Safety Requirements for the Storage and Handling of Anhydrous Ammonia, K-61.1", published by The American National Standards Institute, Inc., and the stan dards of the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), 29 CFR 1910.111, "Storage and handling of anhydrous ammonia". Furthermore, this facility complies with EPA's accident prevention rule and all applicable state and local codes/regulations. Five-year Accident History: There have been no accidental releases of anhydrous ammonia in the past five years that have caused any deaths, injuries, or significant property damage at the facility; nor to our knowledge, have resulted in offsite deaths, injuries, evacuations, sheltering in place, property damage, or environmental damage. Emergency Response Program: Our facility has a written emergency action plan, in accordance with OSHA standard, 29 CFR 1910.38, and has provided state and local authorities the emergency planning and community right-to-know information as required under SARA Title lll (EPCRA). A written emergency response program is in place, in accordance with OSHA standard, 29 CFR 1910.120, including pre-em ergency planning and employee training. We have discussed this policy with our local fire department. Planned Changes to Improve Safety: Safety improvement is an on-going process at our facility. Periodic evaluations are performed to assess the maintenance of safe conditions. At this time, there are no additional specific anhydrous ammonia safety recommendations for implementation. |