Perdue Farms Inc. Showell, MD Processing Plant - Executive Summary |
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Perdue Farms Incorporated, founded in 1920, is the largest poultry producer in the Northeast and the third largest in the United States. Headquartered in Salisbury, Md., the family-owned, privately held company has operations in 14 states. Twenty processing facilities produce about 50 million pounds of poultry products each week. Perdue also has grain storage and merchandising operations and is ranked among the top 20 largest U.S. grain companies. Perdue also manufactures edible oils, specialty feeds, livestock feed ingredients and premium pet food ingredients. Chemical Management Program As a concerned member of the communities in which Perdue facilities are located, the company takes its role as a responsible corporate citizen very seriously. All Pedue facilities are operated to protect employees, contractors, and the public from injury and illness, and to minimize environmental impact. A company-wide safety and wellness program stresses safe working conditions and safe pract ices. Perdue's policy is to inspect, maintain and operate equipment and facilities to prevent accidents, including release of hazardous materials; and to train employees in prevention, as well as to prepare them to respond rapidly and effectively should an accident occur. Perdue Farms has developed and implemented Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasures (SPCC) and Process Safety Management (PSM) plans at each operations facility as part of an overall chemical management program. The program involves a wide range of senior management personnel, including the Director of Environmental Services and the Director of Safety and Security. Additionally, Perdue conducts regular safety meetings and provides a wide variety of environmental, health and safety training to its staff. Description of Facility and the Regulated Substances: The Perdue Farms Showell Processing Plant Facility P-1214 is a poultry processing plant located approximately 1,000 feet west of Route 113 in Showell, Md. This facility began operation in the 1950s and is bounded by farmland to the south and residences to the north. The regulated substance used at the Showell facility, covered by 40 CFR Part 68, is anhydrous ammonia (R-717). The facility utilizes anhydrous ammonia as an integral part of its refrigeration system. Anhydrous ammonia (R-717) is used as the refrigerant for the cooling system. The total quantity of ammonia used in this process is approximately 22,000 pounds, distributed throughout various system components (i.e., compressor, pressure vessels, condensers, etc.). The majority of the refrigeration components are located on the roof, though piping is located throughout the facility. Worst-Case Release Scenario: The predicted worst-case scenario for the refrigeration system is the catastrophic failure of the High Pressure Receiver (HPR). The HPR has a maximum storage capacity of 8,433 pounds of anhydrous ammonia. Using the RMP Comp Ver 1.06 modeling software, the calcula ted distance to the toxic endpoint is 1.6 miles, affecting residents, schools, recreation areas, churches, and officially designated wildlife sanctuaries, preserves, or refuges. The estimated population within the 1.6 mile-radius is 750, based on U.S. Census Bureau information contained in LandView III mapping software. Alternative Release Scenario: The predicted alternative release scenario for the refrigeration system is the release of anhydrous ammonia from a liquid feed line on the roof. It is estimated that this type of scenario would result in an anhydrous ammonia release of 3,840 pounds. This type of release would occur within 7.8 minutes. Using the DEGADIS dispersion model, the calculated distance to the toxic endpoint is 0.6 miles, affecting residents, churches, and officially designated wildlife sanctuaries, preserves, or refuges. The estimated population within the 0.6 mile-radius is 99, based on U.S. Census Bureau information contained in LandView III mapping softwar e. General Accident Release Prevention Program: The Perdue Farms Showell facility maintains a Process Safety Management (PSM) plan in accordance with the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) regulation 29 CFR 1910.119. Perdue Farms Showell facility also utilizes a preventative maintenance program for its system components. As part of this program, trained maintenance personnel inspect the refrigeration system operating parameters and conduct routine maintenance, as needed. Five-Year Accident History: There have been no accidents involving ammonia that have resulted in death(s), injuries, property damage, evacuations, environmental damage or sheltering in place. Emergency Response Program: The Perdue Farms Showell facility has implemented a comprehensive Emergency Response Plan in accordance with the OSHA PSM regulations. The Showell facility has a trained emergency response team that will respond in the event of a hazardous material release, fire or other emerg ency situation. The written Emergency Response Plan contains specific information regarding Emergency Response organization and procedures, as well as incident notification, mitigation, and incident preparedness. In addition, the Perdue Farms Showell facility training program includes annual refreshers. RMP Communications Plan As part of its Risk Management Program, Perdue Farms has developed a RMP Communications Plan. The goals of this plan are (1) to educate the public on the potential risk of regulated substances used by Perdue; (2) to respond to any concerns that RMP disclosures may cause with honest, fact-based communications; and (3) to be fully prepared to effectively respond to any accidental chemical release scenario. Proactive materials about the disclosure information, how the company is prepared to deal with an accident, how the community should respond to an accident, and a process for announcing that an accident has occurred (to be used as needed) are being prepared . In addition, training and information materials for the Perdue managers and employees, community officials, civic groups, the media, environmental groups, emergency response personnel and the public in general will be available. Planned Changes to Improve Safety: As part of Perdue's continual improvement philosophy, all Perdue facilities continue to identify and update components and techniques to ensure safety. |