Millbrook Cold Storage Inc. - Executive Summary |
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Millbrook has liquid ammonia on site as a refrigerant. We continually monitor the facility for chemical safety. The warehouse staff is on guard and knows how to respond to an ammonia leak. The maintenance staff checks the refrigeration equipment daily. Millbrook has walkthrough reviews with crews from both the Somerville and Cambridge Fire Departments. Millbrook is used as a training site for HAZMAT teams from both cities. We are a member of the local LEPC. Millbrook maintains an 8 story refrigerated warehouse. We store mostly food products. Millbrook has around 15,600 pounds inside and 6,500 pounds outside the building. The worst case scenario for an ammonia leak would be a rupture to an outside storage tank. Ammonia is the most common element other than water on earth. Ammonia vapor is lighter than air and moves quickly up to the atmosphere. It is flammable only under narrow conditions and the liquid will not burn outside. Studies have shown that the few fatalities that have occured from this kind of rupture have been within 250 feet of the event. Therefore, the danger to the general population is remote. Ammonia is self-alarming due to the odor. It is unable to sneak up on you. The storage tanks are in a shallow hole in the ground. A leak would pool in this hole. A plastic tarp could be put on the pool. The pool would then be removed by an ammonia company. The two local fire departments would keep the vapor in check by using a fogging spray. Millbrook has been a party to "SARA Title III" for many years and has a HAZMAT profile listed with the Somerville Fire Department. A certified safety professional was given to our staff for compliance with OSHA 1910.1200 Hazard Communication Standard. In the 40 years Millbrook has been in business, there has never been an accidental release of ammonia and safeguards are in place just in case. |