Farmers Union Oil and Grain Company - Executive Summary |
|
Farmers Union Oil & Grain Company is a grain and farm supply cooperative serving eastern LaMoure County. Our mission is "to be a financially viable cooperative that is the preferred supplier of selected goods and services for LaMoure and its rural surroundings" And "to enhance producer profitability and conduct business in a manner respectful of our community and our environment." Our safety program includes a periodic review of facilities to identify problem areas, and safety training of our employees. An Emergency Action Plan is in place to assist employees in the event of an accidental release, fire, explosion or weather disaster. Employees are trained prior to season of use. This training is a refresher for permanent employees and includes training of seasonal employees. The Anhydrous Ammonia facility is used to temporarily store NH3 fertilizer for seasonal farm use. It is transferred into nurse tanks for use by agricultural producers. The loading dock area has a bulk head w ith shear points and snap valves to protect against a sudden release from roll away or drive off. All vehicles are prohibited from running during the filling of nurse tanks to prevent accidental drive-offs. The LP Gas facility has a bulk head safety device with sudden release "Snappy Joe" valves in case of a roll away or drive off. The devices provide protection for both loading of bobtail units and or receiving from tractor trailer units. Bobtails are chock blocked during loading to prevent roll away. The Anhydrous Ammonia/LP Gas plant is centrally located in LaMoure; a town of approximately 900 people. The area around the plant itself is sparsely populated, however, there are times when many residents could be within a two block radius of our facility. Should there ever be a substantial release, a quick response and evacuation of people would be imperative to insure public safety. The volunteer fire department and rescue squad receive annual training for such an incident. Long range plans would include moving both plants to a site east of town owned by the cooperative. |