Storage Warehouse Services Inc. - Executive Summary

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Storage Warehouse Services Inc. 
P. O. Box 247 
11935 Hwy 225 @ Sens Road 
La Porte, Texas 77473 
Phone 281-471-7592 
Fax 281-471-2726 
Email [email protected] 
 
Executive Summary 
Risk Management Program 
 
Storage Warehouse Services, Inc. has served the needs of the Texas Gulf Coast Petroleum and Chemical Industry since 1946.  With a up to code facility on Highway 225 at Sens Road in La Porte, Texas.  We are positioned only 10 minutes from the Port Of Houstons Barbours Cut Terminal. 
 
Storage Warehouse Services Inc. is a distribution center for the non-consumer chemical industry with conventional, red label, and temperature controlled storage. We can provide both inbound and outbound transportation services. 
 
As safety and compliance are fundamental to our mission, the site boasts both a primary and secondary spill containment infrastructure which is capable of safely isolating over four million gallons.  All employees are trained to technical level C in Hazardous Waste Operations, OSHA 
, IMDG and DOT requirements for hazardous material handling. Our drivers are Class A CDL Permit holders. 
 
We have an established a Spill Response Procedures for small spills and an Emergency Action Plan correlated with our La Porte LEPC of which we are a member.  We participate in all of the LEPC meetings with the Chemical Row Manufacturing Companys. New chemicals and updates are reported to the LEPC, Fire Department and SARA.  
 
A continuous quality and safety improvement program ensures the best possible service for our customers.  Our experienced and dedicated employees have a 10 year tenure of 
service. 
 
The success of our safety program has enabled Storage Warehouse Services Inc. to be accident free  for the last five years. 
 
To speak with someone about how we can serve you or if you have questions about our facilities and activities please contact one of the following: 
 
    James Shull Hall, President                           281-471-0705 
    John Freeland, General Manager      
           281-471-0965 
    Marlene Graham, Resource/HSE Manager   281-471-7592 
    Sonia Hill, Administration Manager                281-471-7581 
Visit our website at www.swstorage.com and submit a questionnaire. We will respond immediately. 
 
HEALTH AND SAFETY STATEMENT OF COMPANY POLICY 
 
Storage Warehouse Services Inc. consider safety a necessary and integral part of our business.  No job is so important or so insignificant that it cannot be done safely. Storage Warehouse Services Inc. takes great pride in the prosperity of our Health and Safety record. 
 
Storage Warehouse Services Inc. accepts safety as a condition of continuous quality employment. Employees shall trained and expected to acknowledge safety procedures when they join the company.  Commitment to our communities safety, employee safety, the safety of our customer products and the facilities with which we work is our highest priority.  
 
Continual monitoring for a potential hazardous situation and implementing control m 
easures is a commitment that Storage Warehouse Services Inc. makes for the safety of everyone concerned. 
 
Remember, safety is everyones business and Storage Warehouse Services Inc. is committed to Excellence in Safety.  
 
WAREHOUSE PREVENTION PROGRAM SUMMARY 
 
Storage Warehouse Services Inc. has established the following (but not limited to)prevention procedures. 
 
1. Employees must attend a three day orientation before working in the  warehouse environment. 
a) Operating Procedures 
b) Right To Know Area  
c) Pertinent product information they need to know  and where to find it on the MSDS. 
d) Company drug and no smoking policy 
e) Safety policy and accidents on the job 
f) Equipment maintenance 
g) Respirator testing, use and care 
h) Forklift operating and pre-shift inspection  
i) Fuel supply and inspection 
j) Practical Performance 
k) Container inspection and Drum Grabber use 
l) Rack stacking / unstacking 
m) Receiving reports 
n) Work orders and preparation 
o) Emergency escape 
procedures and routes 
p) Good housekeeping and sanitation 
q) First aid stations 
r) Eye wash and shower stations 
s) NFPA stacking and product compatibility 
t) Controlled temperature areas 
u) Loading, unloading, carrier and container inspection  
v) Incident reporting and investigation 
w) Organization chart and who to report to 
x) Daily, weekly, monthly inspections reports 
y) PPE 
z) Standard long sleeve cotton work uniforms,chemical resistant  clothing, aprons, safety glasses,lumbar supports, steel toe boots,ID badges with training certification cards. 
 
Weekly safety meetings review above procedures. Training on new products arriving at the warehouse and training on MSDS revisions.   
 
2. An EMPLOYEE RIGHT TO KNOW area that contains a HMIS. Material Safety Data Sheets that cover all stored products as required by 29CFR1910.1200 regulations. Every warehouse employee must know where this area is located and trained in the proper use of the MSDS. 
 
3.Storage Warehouse Services Inc. 
operates under the 49CFR171.8 definition of a hazmat employer and hazmat employee 
 
4)Responsibility for training is in accordance with the requirements prescribed in Subpart H of the 49CFR172. All employees are tested by the appropriate means on the training subject covered in 49CFR172.704. 
 
5)Training Requirements: 
 
1) General awareness/familiarization training designed to provide familiarity with the requirements of the hazardous materials regulations and to enable the employee to recognize and identity hazardous materials 
consistent with the HAZCOM standards and regulations.  
 
2) Function-specific training: 
 
a) Each employee shall receive function-specific training concerning requirements of the hazardous       materials regulations which specifically apply to the function the employee performs. 
b) Training is conducted, as necessary, to comply with and when subject to the IMDG Code as authorized in Parts 171.11and 171.12 of the subchapter. 
 
4. Safety Training: 
 
Each employee  
shall receive safety training concerning: 
 
a) Emergency response and evacuation information. 
 
b) Measures to protect the employees from the hazards associated with hazardous materials they may be exposed to in the work place. 
 
c) Methods and procedures for avoiding accidents, such as the proper procedures for inspecting and handling packages containing hazardous materials. 
 
5) 49CFR172.101 is used to determine the correct hazard classification. The NFPA is used to determine the pile density and stacking heights of a flammable liquid,combustible liquid, Organic Peroxides and Oxidizers. Standard Operating Procedures for the description and classification is maintained in our SOP Manual. Hazardous Material Handling and Shipping Manual for DOT is maintained in our Right To Know Center. 
 
6) Storage Warehouse Services Inc. maintains a Standard Operating Procedures manual which also covers Codes Of Safe Practices in the Right To Know Center for employee reference. Employee suggestions for imp 
rovement is welcomed by management. 
 
7)All outside training is conducted by Mr. Steve Cansler with The University Of Texas At Austin, Petroleum Extension Service, Energy Training Center, 2700 W.W. Thorne Drive, Houston,Texas 77073. 
 
Mr. Cansler is an associate staff for the transportation Safety Institute at Oklahoma City, Oklahoma for the Department Of Transportation. He is one of only 29 qualified instructors for DOT. 
 
Mr. Cansler is one of only two people authorized to teach IMDG. He is the Administrator of the Safety and Compliance Division at The University Of Texas Petroleum Extension Services.  
 
He has a Bachelor Of Science Degree as a Safety Engineer from Kennedy Western University and a Bachelor Of Science Degree in Economics from Central Washington State.  These credentials meet the OSHA requirements for OSHA training. You are welcome to visit Mr. Canslers website at: 
 
HTTP:\\WWW.UTEXAS.EDU\CEE\PETEX-INDEX.HTML or  
Email him at [email protected]  
 
FACILITY DESCRIPTION: 
 
Sto 
rage Warehouse Services Inc. has approximately 56,000 square feet of temperature controlled compartments ranging from 32 degrees Fahrenheit to ambient. Our Red Label room has 61,000 square feet with 233,000 square feet of conventional storage.  Our building is 10 years old. We are a non-consumer chemical storage facility with segregated space fully approved to meet regulatory requirements. We have both primary and secondary spill containment infrastructure. Our sprinkler system is .483 gpm over the most remote 3,300 square feet in the conventional storage area. The Red Label storage room is .6 gpm over the most remote 5,000 square feet with 17/32 orifice 286 degree Fahrenheit temperature rated heads.  All applicable switches, valves and risers are equipped withtamper sensitive devices. Annual fire pump flow test, sprinkler system inspection of 13 risers, fire pump diesel engine per NFPA 13, 20, 25 and per state Fire Marshall requirements. All equipment is monitored 24 hours a day by AD 
T Security Systems. 
Weekly testing and inspections are routinely performed and documented. Police and Fire Department have emergency keys for entrance through the front gate. Local La Porte Police Department and The Sheriffs Department patrol the facility regularly. 
 
The warehouse exterior walls are 7 inch tilt up reinforced concrete. The temperature controlled area has 11 inch thick tilt up reinforced concrete panels with a continuous two inch Isocyanurate foil wrapped insulation. Concrete floors are five inch - 3000 psi reinforced concrete with welded wire mesh. Warehouse floor slabs have been installed for 500 pounds per square feet floor load capacity. The warehouse interior is surrounded with four inch berms for inside spill containment. The inside spill containment will hold over 485,000 gallons. Our secondary spill containment infrastructure is capable of safely isolating over four million gallons. 
 
Our warehouse is three minutes to Hwy. 146 to the new Fred Hartman channel suspe 
nsion bridge and approximately three miles to Barbours Cut Container Port. We are located in the petroleum and chemical industry and removed from residential areas. 
 
Storage Warehouse Services Inc. has the ability to store Corrosive, Flammable Liquid, Flammable Solids, Combustibles, Poisonous, Oxidizers and Organic Peroxides. 
 
We utilize drum grabbers that can handle two,four or eight drums. Storage accommodates drums, bags, pails, super sacks, gaylords etc.We do not store aerosol products. 
 
WORST-CASE SCENARIO based on the RMP Comp  
 
Release of BF3 to the atmosphere creates a dense, white cloud. Although BF3 is heavier than air, the thermal effect of heating when BF3 reacts with water vapor in the air causes the cloud to become buoyant. It has a sharp acidic odor. 
 
A release can happen with a defective valve cap. A release of 544 pounds at a release rate of 29.9 pounds per minute for 10 minutes from an enclosed space, in direct contact with outside air can travel an estimated 1.3 mil 
es. This is in a rural surrounding.  
 
No specific BF3 leak detecting or analysis devices are yet available. Warehouses must use methods such as awareness, our eyes and odor detection. 
 
Spotting a vapor cloud at a distance or detecting a odor, the warehouse employees will sound the order for immediate evacuation, cutting off ignition sources,closing the fire doors and calling the Fire Department could possibly slow down the travel distance.  
 
With consistent monitoring by all employees and container pressure checks hopefully a release will be detected in time to confine the release to its storage area until our local responders arrive. It is a 5 min. response time for our local fire department. 
 
Training will continue covering safe storage and handling procedures for this product. In addition to our existing natural air changes, mechanical high and low ventilation is provided by industrial fans and the use of roof mounted upblast power ventilators with back draft dampers provide a minim 
um capacity of four changes per hour in the dry storage area. MSDS review, evacuation drills and the response procedures will be reviewed with our local emergency responders. Open Dialogue with the La Porte LEPC at our monthly meetings will be on going. 
 
Storing this product with cross ventilation that causes natural air changes and the use of our local mechanical exhaust ventilation should help to dissipate some of the vapors. Keeping this product out of direct sunlight, away from flammable and corrosive materials along with safe handling should make the worse case scenario unlikely. Safe handling includes proper forklift handling, not tampering with the valve or valve safety device and close monitoring of the stored temperature. 
 
ALTERNATE SCENARIO based on the RMP Comp 
 
A release of BF3 vapor cloud at the rate of 10 pounds per minute for 10 minutes in an enclosed space, in direct contact with outside air in a rural surrounding will travel an estimated distance of 0.1 miles. 
 
Once a 
gain, spotting a vapor cloud or odor detection, the warehouse employees will sound the order for immediate evacuation, cutting off ignition sources,closing the fire doors and calling the Fire Department. 
 
FIVE YEAR ACCIDENT HISTORY 
Storage Warehouse Services Inc. has not had an accidental reportable release in the past five years. 
 
EMERGENCY ACTION PLAN 
 
Storage Warehouse Services has an Emergency Action Plan. We are covered under the Harris County-La Porte, Texas LEPC.  Our emergency action plan is reviewed and submitted to the local Fire Department and LEPC if any changes occur.  A copy of our SARA report and updates are submitted to the Fire Department and LEPC as required. 
 
Emergency Action Plan. The following methods are used to alert employees of an emergency. 
 
1. ADT audible alarms 
2. Hand Radio (all warehouse employees have one), Verbal communication. 
3. Hand held air horns 
 
Hand held air horn sounds and meaning for evacuation. 
 
4 Short Blast - indicates alert. (Stop, look and  
listen) 
2 Short Blast following alert - indicates chemical incident or fire has occurred and to evacuate the area      immediately. 
1 Long Blast - indicates all clear 
 
Office Personnel - Actions 
 
Proceed to the nearest exit door toward the assemble point across  the street from the water storage tank keeping upwind of the affected area. 
 
a) The Operations Manager or Safety Coordinator will do a employee and visitor verbal count. 
b) The Traffic controller will activate the 911 call and remove all carriers and visitors from the lobby and evacuate with hand held radio and visitor register to the evacuation area staying upwind of the affected areas. 
 
Warehouse Personnel - Actions 
 
a) Shut off all forklifts, sweepers and any source of ignition. 
b) When leaving activate fire doors if safety allows  
c) Remain calm and evacuate out the nearest emergency exit door or overhead door towards the emergency assembly area across the street from the water storage tank keeping upwind of the affected  
area. 
 
Warehouse Supervisors - Actions 
 
a) B area supervisor to evacuate to the entrance gate to establish security. 
b) B leadsman to notify all carriers to turn off engine and to evacuate to the assembly area. 
 
All Personnel 
 
All personnel are required to group together at the assembly area to await for emergency responders. No personnel shall leave the group until instructed by emergency responders or the all clear has been 
sounded. 
 
Serious Spill Containment and Area Decontamination 
 
All hazardous spill containment and decontamination operations are to be performed by trained contracted hazardous chemical handling specialist(s).  
 
In the event of serious fires or chemical spills, the containment gates located at the at each end of our private road will be activated. 
 
First Aid Duties 
 
In the event of injury call 911 for assistance.  If an injury assessment reflects immediate danger Storage Warehouse Services Inc. trained Safety Coordinator will administer, until the arrival of medic 
al responders: 
a) Basic First Aid 
b) Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation 
 
All other medical care will be provided by trained emergency medical responders. 
 
Operation Start Up After An Emergency 
 
Start up procedures will differ depending on the nature of the emergency and the extent of the damages sustained. The President and/or General Manager will make the necessary decisions to assure a safe start up per incident. 
 
Notification 
 
In case of fires or chemical releases, the local fire department and Chemtrac will be called for assistance. When the emergency is under control the Resource Department will notify the TNRCC. Not all customers are registered with Chemtrac, in this case direct customer contact will be necessary. Reportable quantities must be reported to the appropriate agencies. 
 
Planned changes to improve safety 
 
Storage Warehouse Services Inc. will be having our HAZWOPER level "C"  refresher training in July, 1999.  Our DOT and IMDG yearly training in September 1999. Although the  
DOT and IMDG is not a yearly requirement, Storage Warehouse Services Inc. feels it is important to review these regulations and any changes that may affect our working environment.   Standard employee outside training: HAZCOM, HAZMAT, OSHA, DOT,IMDG,  
 
Standard in-house training: 
1) Respirators 
a) Respirator and proper filter usage. Cleaning procedures. 
b) How to pick the correct filter to use. 
c) Donning procedures 
 
2) Forklift 
a) Obstacle course 
b) Trailer loading-bags,drums,super-sacks 
c) Flatbed loading - off the docks, ramp 
d) Dock plates - Vs manual dock plates 
e) Dock plate usage in containers 
f) Pre-shift Forklift inspections 
 
3) Mechanic of a Forklift 
a) Parts of a forklift (basic parts) 
b) Power and design 
 
4) Equipment attachments 
a) Adapter inspections (2,3,& 8 drum grabbers) 
b) Pre-use inspections 
c) Weight distribution when using drum grabbers--fork spacing. 
 
5) Product Safety 
a) How to prevent damages (inspections) 
b) Moving product properly 
c) Stacking product on plywoo 
d - type of plywood to use 
d)  Pyramid stacking - frontal and side. When to use this procedure. 
 
6) Fuel Supply 
a) Hazards 
b) Protective clothing and equipment 
c) How to refill a fuel container (bottle) 
d) How to inspect fuel containers 
 
7) OSHA and DOT requirements 
a) Review and understand what is required by OSHA,DOT 
b) Discuss; OSHA - 29CFR, DOT -  49CFR  
 
Question and answer period after each subject. Storage Warehouse Services Inc. gives written and verbal test. Then another Question and answer period. All employees have an annual physical as well as drug testing, hearing, eye exams,and respirator fit tests. The required fit test assures Storage Warehouse Services Inc. employees are physically fit to wear respirators. 
 
SPILL RESPONSE 
 
Storage Warehouse Services Inc. only responds to small spills involving less that 50 gallons.  This quantity can often be handled by trained warehouse employees.  The type of chemical spilled is the important factor in determining how to respond and  
clean up. 
 
It is important for individual employees to know what steps to take in dealing with small chemical spills. 
 
The Safety Coordinator will assist in a small spill cleanup. The basic foundation for small spills: 
a) Cut off all ignition sources 
b) Evacuate the area 
c) Notify Manager on duty 
d) I. D. Product 
e) Check MSDS 
f) Put on PPE required 
g) Contain spill if it can be done safely 
h) Contact customer 
i) Request customers HAZMAT team if required for clean up 
j) Monitor HAZMAT teams clean up/labeling/repackaging and removal of waste from our facility. 
k) Submit a spill/damage report with pictures to approprate CSR and Safety Coordinator for History documentation 
 
SPILL CONTAINMENT MATERIAL 
 
Spill containment supplies are kept on spill carts through out the warehouse. These spill carts contain: 
a) Absorbent socks for blocking the flow of a spill from one area to another, securing drain openings. They are designed to contain and absorb hazardous chemicals like acids, caustics and 
corrosive 
b) Loose clay absorbent 
c) Spark proof shovels and brooms for dispersion and clean up 
d) Spill pillows and pads  
e) Recovery drum 
f) Rubber Boots and gloves 
g) Tyvak suits 
 
Remember, contain the spill and protect drains. 
 
If it has been determined that warehouse employees can safely clean up the spill with proper PPE all disposable materials must be packaged. These materials include spent absorbents, rags, tools, clothing and other disposable items.  The packaged waste must be labeled in accordance with proper hazardous waste disposal procedures. 
 
Notify customer for immediate removal from Storage Warehouse Services Inc. facility. 
 
RESTORE SURROUNDINGS 
 
Be sure that all safety and clean-up equipment is replaced and is ready for future use. 
 
REMEMBER THIS ALWAYS 
 
A spill that can threaten human health or the environment can be called a hazardous materials release or discharge.  This means that human health or safety is at risk because of exposure or it may present a hazard to 
the environment -- contamination to water, soil, air, fish and wildlife. 
 
Fire and explosion hazards with the potential for physical injury are often posed by chemical releases.  Some incidents involving fire and explosion can have catastrophic consequences. 
 
WHEN A HAZARDOUS MATERIALS RELEASE OR DISCHARGE HAPPENS ACTIVATE THE EMERGENCY ACTION PLAN.
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