Olefins and Aromatics Plant - Executive Summary |
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Mobil Chemical Company Olefins and Aromatics Plant Beaumont, Texas Risk Management Plan (RMP) Executive Summary June 3, 1999 1. Accidental Release Prevention and Response Policies The Mobil Chemical Company, Olefins and Aromatics Plant (O/A Plant), in Beaumont, Texas manufactures industrial chemicals, such as ethylene, propylene, paraxylene, benzene, and cyclohexane. These chemicals are used as base stock chemicals for plastics and synthetic fabrics. The O/A plant utilizes certain safety precautions to prevent unnecessary on-site human exposure and to minimize the potential for any offsite exposure. These safety precautions include: - Effectively managing our process operations; - Investing in the latest process safety technologies; - Training our personnel on an ongoing basis; - Reviewing our processes for hazards on a continuous basis; - Ensuring safety is considered in process design, installation, operations and maintenance; and - Training and maintaining a highly-efficient Emergency Response Organization The O/A Plant maintains a policy to be a good business partner and a safe and conscientious neighbor who will operate its facility in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations. The O/A Plant has a standing commitment to worker and public safety. This is evidenced by: - our history of support and commitment to the community; - our high environmental standards; and - our participation as a STAR facility in the U. S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) since 1984. (STAR stands for Safety Through Accountability and Recognition.) We are proud of our Safety and Environmental Programs and continually strive to be the best in our industry. 2. Description of the Stationary Source and Regulated Substances The manufacturing process at the O/A Plant contains the RMP regulated flammable substances of hydrogen, methane, ethane, ethylene, acetylene, propane, propylene, isobutane, 2-methylpropene, butane, butene, 1,3-butadiene, pentane, pentene, and isopentane. In addition, the O/A Plant uses chlorine, which is a regulated toxic substance under the RMP rule, to keep the plant's water systems free of algae. 3. Hazard Assessment Results The RMP rule requires companies to develop chemical release scenarios that estimate the potential community impact from an accidental release. These scenarios are useful for emergency planning in the event of an accident. There are two types of scenarios required by the EPA. The worst-case scenario (WCS) is the release of the largest quantity of a regulated substance. It assumes the worst-case meteorology that would allow the release to travel the greatest distance. The alternative release scenario (ARS) allows industries to develop a more realistic planning scenario. The WCS and ARS for flammable chemicals at the O/A Plant is the release of butane. Offsite impact is mitigated by our prevention programs listed in section one above. Th e WCS and ARS for toxic scenarios at the O/A Plant is the release of chlorine. Offsite impact is mitigated by our prevention programs listed in section one above. 4. General Accidental Release Prevention Program and Chemical-Specific Prevention Steps To ensure that our risk management program is appropriately developed and implemented, our Site Manager has assigned the role of RMP Coordinator to a staff member with the necessary background, training, and experience. The RMP Coordinator, acting with the authority delegated directly from the Site Manager, has the responsibility for the development and implementation of our risk management programs. The O/A Plant has developed effective programs to comply with the industry's most stringent environmental, health, and safety standards. Our plant adheres to the Chemical Manufacturers Association's mandatory Responsible Care. Program. Mobil Chemical Company was the first in the nation to have all of its facilities, including the O/A Plant, certified as a STAR facility in OSHA's VPP. Facilities in the STAR program are required to demonstrate exemplary safety performance and agree to work cooperatively with OSHA to serve as an example for other industry to follow. They are audited by OSHA for compliance every few years. The O/A Plant was among the first facilities in the nation to earn the prestigious STAR recognition and has maintained it through five OSHA inspections over a fifteen-year period. We take a systematic, proactive approach to preventing accidental releases of hazardous chemicals. Our process management systems address each of the essential features of successful accident prevention programs including: - Employee participation - Process safety information - Process hazard analysis - Incident investigation - Operating procedures - Training - Mechanical integrity - Management of change - Pre-startup safety review - Hot work permit - Contractor safety - Compliance audits Our RMP uses these individual elements to prevent accidental chemical releases. In addition to our industry leading management programs, we have designed state-of-the-art systems and equipment to control, prevent, detect, and mitigate potential accidental releases. We employ extensive mechanical integrity and preventive maintenance programs to ensure the integrity of our equipment and safety systems. Our mechanical integrity program uses equipment surveillance and preventive maintenance activities to identify equipment that may be deteriorating and in need of repair or replacement, before failure occurs. This program also specifies the repairs (or parts replacement) needed to return equipment to acceptable specifications. We train our employees to safely perform their assigned tasks. Our training program includes initial training as well as periodic refresher training and training updates when major process or equipment changes are made. As part of our training, we include provi sions for ensuring that employees understand the training, including written tests and field demonstrations. 5. Five-Year Accident History The O/A Plant has had three accidents that meet the criteria for the Five-Year Accident History. The only release that had any offsite effects was an upset flaring incident that caused a grass fire at the adjacent Mobil Beaumont Refinery. 6. Emergency Response Program Information The O/A Plant's Emergency Response Plan serves as a line of defense against accidental releases and other emergencies and the procedure for reacting to unwanted releases and other emergencies if they occur. The O/A Plant maintains a written emergency response plan at the facility and is included in the community's emergency response plan. The O/A Plant coordinates its emergency response drills with the City of Beaumont's fire department, the Mobil Beaumont Refinery's fire department, various government agencies (TNRCC, Coast Guard), local hospitals, and the new s media. 7. Planned Changes to Improve Safety The O/A Plant is a STAR facility in OSHA's VPP. We are continually improving our safety programs. We are planning on updating our Process Safety Procedure Manual in 1999, and completing a revision of our operating procedures in 1999. |