Farmers Co-op Association - Executive Summary |
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Risk Management Plan (RMP) - Ammonia Executive Summary Farmers Co-op Association Mitchell, South Dakota 1. Accidental Release Prevention and Emergency Response Policies We at Farmers Co-op Association in Mitchell are strongly committed to employee, public, and environmental safety. This commitment is an inherent part of our comprehensive accidental release prevention program that covers areas such as design, installation, operating procedures, maintenance, and employee training associated with the processes at our facility. It is our policy to implement appropriate controls to prevent possible releases of regulated substances. If such a release does occur, our trained emergency response personnel are at hand to control and mitigate the effects of the release. We also coordinate our response efforts with the Mitchell Fire Department, which provides additional emergency response expertise. 2. Portable/Temporary Source and Regulated Substances Handled Our facility's primary activit ies include support services for crop production. We have anhydrous ammonia shipped in by semi transports which are parked temporarily at the facility in Mitchell (Figure 1). The maximum amount stored is 16,500 gallons (88,000 pounds) at the maximum fill capacity of 80%. 3. Worst Case Release and Alternative Release Scenarios We utilized RMP PRO for the worst case and alternate case scenarios of the required offsite consequence analysis for our facility. The following details these scenarios. The worst case release scenario involves a catastrophic release of the entire contents of the anhydrous ammonia from one semi transport (44,000 pounds) in gaseous form over a 10-minute period. At Class F atmospheric stability, 1.5 m/s wind speed, and a urban topography, the maximum distance to a toxic endpoint of 0.14 mg/L is3.2 miles (Figure 2). The estimated population within a 3.2-mile radius of this facility is 15,000. The alternative release scenario involves a release from an anhydro us ammonia product line. The scenario involves the release of 8537. pounds of ammonia in a gaseous form over a period of 30 minutes. Under neutral weather conditions, the maximum distance to the toxic endpoint of 0.14 mg/L of ammonia is 0.31 mile (Figure 3). The estimated population within a 0.31-mile radius of the facility is 50. 4. General Accidental Release Prevention Program Cenex Land O'Lakes Agronomy Company(C/LOL Agronomy), Cenex Transportation has taken all the necessary steps to comply with the EPA's accidental release prevention requirements as set forth in 40 CFR part 68. The following sections briefly describe the elements of the release prevention program that is in place at our temporary portable source, and Cenex Transportation. Process Safety Information C/LOL Agronomy, Cenex Transportation maintains a detailed record of safety information that describes the chemical hazards, operating parameters, and equipment designs associated with all processes (Appendix D). Process Hazard Analysis C/LOL Agronomy, Cenex Transportation conducts comprehensive studies to ensure that hazards associated with our processes are identified and controlled effectively. Any findings from the hazard analysis are addressed in a timely manner. Operating Procedures C/LOL Agronomy, Cenex Transportation maintains written operating procedures to ensure that activities within our covered processes are conducted safely. These procedures address various modes of operation; the information is regularly reviewed and is readily accessible to operators involved in the processes (Appendix B). Training C/LOL Agronomy, Cenex Transportation has a comprehensive training program in place to ensure that employees who are operating processes are competent in the operating procedures associated with these processes. Mechanical Integrity C/LOL Agronomy, Cenex Transportation conducts documented maintenance checks on process equipment to ensure proper operation. Maintenance checks are c onducted by qualified personnel with previous training in maintenance practices. Examples of process equipment that would receive maintenance checks include: pressure vessels, storage tanks, piping systems, relief and vent systems, emergency shutdown systems, controls, and pumps. Any equipment deficiencies identified by the maintenance checks are corrected in a safe and timely manner (Appendix C). Management of Change Written procedures are in place at Farmers Co-op Association to manage changes in process chemicals, technology, equipment, and procedures. Process operators, maintenance personnel or other employees whose job tasks are affected by a modification in process conditions are promptly notified of the modification and offered training to deal with it. Pre-startup Reviews C/LOL Agronomy, Cenex Transportation routinely conducts pre-startup safety reviews related to new processes and modifications in established processes. These reviews are conducted to confirm that constr uction, equipment, and operating and maintenance procedures are suitable for safe startup prior to placing equipment into operation. Compliance Audits C/LOL Agronomy, Cenex Transportation conducts compliance audits on a regular basis to determine whether the plan's provisions, set out under the 40 CFR part 68, are being implemented. Any non-compliance issue discovered during the audit is promptly corrected. Employee Participation C/LOL Agronomy, Cenex Transportation and Farmers Co-op Association truly believes that process safety management and accident prevention is a team effort. Company employees are strongly encouraged to express their views concerning accident prevention issues and to recommend improvements. In addition, our employees have access to all information created as part of the facility's implementation of the RMP, particularly information resulting from process hazard analyses. 5. Five-year Accident History C/LOL Agronomy, Cenex Transportation and Farmers Co-op As sociation has had an excellent record of preventing accidental releases over the last 5 years. Due to our stringent release prevention policies, no accidental release has occurred during this period. 6. Emergency Response Plan Farmers Co-op Association maintains a written emergency response plan to deal with accidental releases of hazardous materials. The plan addresses all aspects of emergency response including first aid and medical treatment, evacuations, and notification of local emergency response agencies and the public (Appendix A). 6. Emergency Response Plan Farmers Co-op Association maintains a written emergency response plan to deal with accidental releases of hazardous materials. The plan addresses all aspects of emergency response including first aid and medical treatment, evacuations, and notification of local emergency response agencies and the public (Appendix A). |