ALTIVIA - Executive Summary |
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ALTIVIA produces chemicals which are used to clarify and purify the public waters of the Southwest. As part of being a good neighbor to the community it serves with its chemicals, ALTIVIA has implemented a number of policies, procedures and systems to help ensure that the chemicals do not adversely effect the outside community. The following serves as a brief overview of these polices, procedures, and systems. ALTIVIA Greens Bayou Facility is located on approximately one hundred and twenty acres. The process areas in the facility are Alum/Aqualum, Bleach/Chlorine Repackaging, and Specialty Chemicals. The Alum/Aqualum area is the production area for aluminum sulfate(alum) and blending of alum with polymers. The Bleach/Chlorine Repackaging area is the production area for sodium hypochlorite (bleach) and repackaging of chlorine from 90-ton rail cars to 2000-pound containers and 150 pound cylinders. Blending and repackaging of third party chemicals is the activity that takes place a t Specialty Chemicals. Other facilities located on the property include an administrative building, guardhouse, maintenance shop, laboratory, and change house. The handling of chlorine in the Greens Bayou Facility gives the potential of effecting the outside community. It is this chemical which is the driving force behind the policies, procedures, and systems which govern the operation of the entire ALTIVIA facility. Under OSHA 29CFR1910.119 (Process Safety Management) ALTIVIA developed a fourteen section manual that helps prevent or minimize the consequences of catastrophic release of chlorine. Training is one of the most important sections of PSM. ALTIVIA operators receive 40-hour Hazwoper training. This level of training allows us to respond to any incident, which may occur. In addition, five supervisors in the facility are trained to the incident command level. This level of training coupled with an active involvement by all employees to identify needed change is invaluabl e to maintaining a safe and reliable facility. ALTIVIA Emergency Reponse Plan (ERP) was updated in 1999. The ERP is divided into thirteen sections ranging from administration, policies, duties, chemical information, notifications, evacuations, drills and communications. Drills are an important learning tool for opertors and supervisors. ALTIVIA conducts plant wide drills quaterly and also participates in drills conducted for all the facilities located on Haden Road. Other particpants in the Haden Road drill include Office of Emergency Management, Sheriff's Department, and CloverLeaf Fire Department. Communications is an important tool in an effectve response or mitigation process. At ALTIVIA, any level of chlorine above 1 ppm will shut the entire process down. At this level a plant wide alarm sounds informing all operations of a chlorine release. If a problem exists, operations personnel secure their process areas and proceed to the response team assembly area. Should the ala rm occur during off-hours, the security guards have pagers and call out telephone numbers for supervisors and have been informed as to personal protection techniques. Once assembled, the response team will secure the situation or the incident commander will call upon outside assitance if necessary. During these periods, the offsite impacts will be analyzed and the Communications Officer will make all necessary contacts. As part of any good analysis, ALTIVIA also wanted to review the worst posible scenario, which might occur, and the impacts it would cause. With gudance and models from the EPA, ALTIVIA determined that the worst possible scenario would be the total release of a 90-ton rail car of chlorine in a 10-minute period. With a wind speed of 1.5 m/second the effected resdential population would be 250,000. ALTIVIA believes its shutdown systems would prevent any such occurrence and presents (also with EPA guidance) as an chlorine alternate-case scenario, the release of 1,740 pounds of chlorine in twenty minutes. This would affect no populated areas. The alternate-case for Sulfur Dioxide would have a release rate of 1,112 lbs. in twenty minutes. Again, this would would affect no populated areas. As ALTIVIA continues to grow, we are continually looking for new and improved methods to ensure the safety of our personnel and our community. These changes can only occur with continued input and support of our personnel, regulatory agencies, and our community. |