Forest Park - Earthgrains - Executive Summary

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The Earthgrains Company operates a commercial bakery facility in Forest Park, Georgia. The facility makes various refrigerated dough and toaster pastries products.  Ammonia is used in the refrigeration system at the Facility for cooling the building, making ice, and freezing products.  Propane or LP-Gas is used as fuel when natural gas is not available.  This facility complies with the ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 15 for the ammonia regrigeration system.  The propane system is designed and maintained in accordance with NFPA-58.  It is the policy of Earthgrains to adhere to all applicable federal, state, and local laws. 
 
Earthgrains has in place policies which limit the amount of ammonia and propane at the Facility.  Additionally, Earthgrains has prevention and management programs which are implemented to increase the safe operation of both systems.  Earthgrains believes that safe operations and accident prevention is the way to do business everyday. 
 
In the event of an emergency involving eith 
er of the ammonia or propane systems, it is Earthgrains policy to notify the Forest Park Fire Department and request that they respond to the emergency.  Earthgrains has discussed this policy with the fire department and members of the department have inspected the facility.  In the past five years, the facility has not had an accident involving ammonia or propane that caused deaths, injuries, property or environmental damage, evacuations, or sheltering in place. 
 
The maximum amount of ammonia stored to 12,800 pounds in the storage tank and associated piping, valves and other miscellaneous equipment.  The worst-case scenario for ammonia is a failure of the storage tank and release of the entire contents over a ten-minute period.  Based USEPA's look-up tables, the distance to the endpoint is 1.5 miles.  Approximately 8,200 people live within the 1.5 mile radius from the facility.  Topographic maps and visual receptor surveys indicated the area has other industrial properties,  churches, 
and public recreational areas within this area as well. 
 
The alternative release scenario for ammonia is a "pull-away" failure during filling operations when the most that would release is the contents of the filling hose (approximately 3" dia. x 25').  Using the EPA's look-up tables, the conservative distance to the endpoint is 0.1 miles. 
 
The maximum amount of propane or LP-Gas stored onsite is 11,600 gallons in the storage tank and associated piping, valves, burners and other miscellaneous equipment.  The worst-case scenario involving propane or LP-Gas is a vapor cloud explosion.  Based on the USEPA look-up tables, the distance to an endpoint is estimated to be 0.3 miles.  Approximately 950 people live within the radius of the endpoint from the facility.  Topographic maps and visual receptor surveys indicated the area has other industrial properties, churches, and public recreational areas within its radius.   
 
The alternative release scenario for propane or LP-Gas is a "pull-away" 
failure during filling operations when the most that would release is the contents of the filling hose (approximately 3: diameter x 25').  According to EPA's look-up tables, the conservative distance to the endpoint is less than 0.1 miles.
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