Edwall Chemical Corporation - Executive Summary |
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Edwall Chemical Corp. Prevention Program has been developed over a three-year period, and is reviewed annually. Our program here has been developed for the best interest of our employees and community. The primary reason for the low probability of community impact is the rural location of this facility. Another key reason for the continuing safe operation of this facility is the (down time) each year, which allows for in-depth inspection annually. Programs in use include: Management of Change, Mechanical Integrity inspections, Lock-out Tag-out procedures, and daily inspections of critical processes. Edwall Chemical maintains employees of site when in operation. The facility Emergency Response Plan has been divided into 3 areas that are divided by walls and/or are separated from the rest of the facility by being located in separate buildings. All valves, buttons and switches used to mitigate chemical releases are mapped and marked. The Emergency Plan has all entrances, pathways, valves, buttons and switches identified by number, photos and maps. The local public emergency response team leader (Fire Chief Bill Sullivan) has reviewed and walked the Emergency Response Plan to the extent that chief Sullivan believes his group could implement the plan in the unlikely event that all Edwall Chemical employees were unavailable to respond. The worse case scenario is extremely unlikely if not impossible and the circle of influence would include the town of Edwall. However, the terrain present would not allow the ammonia to impact the town, and the impacted population would be approximately 100 rather than the 390 reported. Employees, who all have been trained on reporting procedures, can detect ammonia releases. Oral reports of a release are supplemented by alarms. Each year inspections are taken to a higher level of acceptance. Edwall Chemical is continuing to seek ways to further protect the community as well as their employees from injury or illness with a co ntinuing process of review and inspections. |