Van de Kamp's Frozen Foods-Erie - Executive Summary |
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6/14/99 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY VDK FROZEN FOODS - ERIE, PA VDK Frozen Foods in Erie, Pennsylvania is a 117,000 square foot frozen food manufacturing facility located on ten acres of land, processing and packaging frozen foods products. Ammonia refrigeration is used throughout the plant for processing and storage. Approximately 40,000 lbs. of ammonia is used in the system. Certified technicians operate the ammonia system. In addition, all safety and monitoring systems are in place to notify management of anything out of the ordinary. As a result of having these technicians and systems in place, we have not had an ammonia-related incident in the last five years. Worst Case Ammonia Release Scenario: Written operating procedures and alarms would prevent more than 10,000 gallons of ammonia from being released. The distance to the end point of such a release is 0.4 miles. Local emergency responders guarantee five-minute response time. There are no schools, industries, hospitals, prisons, or recreational areas within the 0.4 miles. However, there is a Post Office within the 0.4 mile radius. The residential population of this radius is approximately 5000. The alternate scenario indicates a release with an end point of 0.1 miles. This indicates that the release would be contained on our property. We also comply with OSHA and county regulations, have a relationship with the Erie County Emergency Response Team, and are licensed for ammonia operation by the City of Erie. The City of Erie Fire Department also conducts an annual inspection of the plant, which was just completed in May 1999. Plant Changes to Improve Safety: In March 1997, we installed a new ammonia detection system. In May 1999, we expanded our management team to include a Site Safety & Training Manager, responsible for resourcing and facilitating safety training and developing the Plant Safety Plan. Of the six recommendations made during our last PHA, three of them have already been compl eted. Two others will be completed by the end of the year, and the sixth is being investigated by the management team for feasibility. In addition, we will be conducting refresher training for internal responders and commanders, which will be completed by the end of the 1999. Semi-annual drills are scheduled and response equipment is scheduled to be updated annually. Another PHA is scheduled to be completed by June 2000, which will include updating the ammonia piping diagrams and Management of Change criteria. |