United Western Cooperative - Executive Summary |
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Risk Management Plan - Executive Summary Facility: UNITED WESTERN COOP, MODALE, IOWA Contact: RANDY MCDUNN Phone: 888-645-2081 1. Facility Policy. The owners, management and employees of UNITED WESTERN COOP (the facility) are committed to the prevention of any accidental releases of anhydrous ammonia and propane. If an accidental release should occur, the facility is prepared to work with the local fire department, or other authorities, to mitigate and minimize the impacts of the release to the people and the environment. 2. Facility Information. The primary activity at the facility is the storage and blending of fertilizers for sale to farmers. Anhydrous ammonia is received, stored and distributed for both direct application and for blending into mixed-grade fertilizers for crop production nutrients. Anhydrous ammonia and propane is / are stored at the facility in two (2) anhydrous ammonia tanks of 12,000 gallon capacity and one (1) propane tank of 18,000 gallons capa city. The maximum quantity stored of anhydrous ammonia is (85% of 12,000 gal. X 5.1 lbs / gal )104,040 lbs and ( 85% of 18,000 gal. X 4 lb/gal.) 61,200 lbs. of propane. 3. Worst-Case Scenario and Alternate Release Scenario B ANHYDROUS AMMONIA a. The worst-case scenario would be the release of the total contents of a storage tank released as gas over a period of 10 minutes. The maximum quantity released would be 104,040 pounds, which represents the volume of the largest storage tank at 85 percent capacity as limited by design standards. The distance to the end point (point of dispersion to 200 parts per million, or ppm) is 2.1 miles. b. The alternate release scenario, based on the five-year accident history (or the most likely potential incident), is a release from a break in a transfer hose. The distance to the endpoint (point of dispersion to 200 ppm) is 1.4 miles. 4. Accidental Release Prevention Program The facility has been reviewed for general compliance with the provisions of ASafety Requirements for the Storage and handling of Anhydrous Ammonia, K-61.1@, published by The American National Standards Institute, Inc. (ANSI), and the standards of the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), 29 CFR 1910.111, AStorage and handling of anhydrous ammonia@. The ANSI Standard has been adopted by reference by Iowa Administrative Code Part 21BChapter 43BRule 43.6(200)-Standard for the storage and handling of anhydrous ammonia. The OSHA standard is referenced in the Registration Form Section 8.3.b. WORST B CASE SCENARIO AND ALTERNATE CASE RELEASE B PROPANE A. The worst-case scenario for the release of propane would be an explosion that creates a pressure wave of 1.0 pounds per square inch (psi). That would occur for the largest storage tank,61,200 lbs., at a distance of 0.4 miles. B. A more likely scenario, alternate-case release, would be a break in a transfer hose, that would produce a 1.0 psi pressure wave to a distance of 0.03 miles (175 feet) with a release of 69. 5. Five-Year Accident History. There have been no accidental releases of anhydrous ammonia or propane 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 off-site deaths, injuries, evacuations, sheltering in place, property damage, or environmental damage. 6. Emergency Response Program. The facility has: a. a written action plan, in accordance with OSHA standard 29 CFR 1910.38; b. provided state and local authorities with the emergency planning and community right-to-know information as required under SARA Title III (EPCRA); c. a written emergency response program, in accordance with OSHA standard 29 CFR 1910.120, including pre-emergency planning and employee training. 7. Planned Changes to Improve Safety. Safety improvement is an on-going process at the facility. Periodic evaluations are performed to assess the maintenance of safe conditions. There are no additional specific safety recommendations regarding storage or use of anhydrous ammonia and propane for implementation at this time. |