Miller Brewing Company (Eden, NC) - Executive Summary

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 
 
The Miller Brewing Company is committed to promoting a safe working environment and has developed and implemented several programs to ensure chemical safety. The facility operates an ammonia refrigeration process and has several methods for ensuring employee and public safety associated with this process.  The facility has developed procedures, plans and policies for the operation of the ammonia process and for dealing with unexpected accidental releases.  The Miller Brewing Company has implemented a process safety management program which enhances safety by regular maintenance and inspections, hazard analysis, compliance audits, employee and contractor training, employee participation, ammonia monitoring/detection, and other activities.  The Miller facility has an Emergency Response Team complete with state-of-the-art emergency response equipment.  The team is trained to quickly and effectively respond to a release of hazardous materials.  The facility also has emer 
gency response procedures and plans to promote chemical safety in the event of an emergency situation. 
 
The Miller Brewing Company is engaged in the beer production business.  The facility consists of several buildings where brewing processes are conducted.  As part of the brewing process, an ammonia refrigeration system is utilized.  Due to the quantity of ammonia maintained on-site, the facility is subject to the Risk Management Program regulations which are meant to promote safety at the facility and general public level. 
 
A worst-case release scenario was modeled using computer software to determine the greatest impact a release of ammonia from the facility could reasonably cause.  This scenario is based on a complete and total release of ammonia from the largest ammonia vessel located at the facility.  The worst-case release of ammonia from this vessel is a complete loss of 12,000 pounds of ammonia in a ten minute period.   Computer modeling was used to reasonably evaluate the imp 
acts from such a release.  The modeling indicates that impacts from the worst case release would impact public receptors beyond the property boundaries. 
 
An alternative release scenario was also modeled using the EPA lookup tables.  The alternative release scenario is based on a release or small leak  (i.e. 11/16 inch) in a relief valve associated with the Kathabar unit at the facility.  The alternative release scenario is a scenario which is more likely to occur than the worst-case scenario. The modeling indicates that impacts form the alternative release scenario would impact public receptors beyond the property boundaries. 
 
In the previous five years, the Miller facility has not had any accidental releases which resulted in any deaths, injuries, or significant property damage on-site, or known off-site deaths, injuries, evacuations, sheltering-in-place, property damage, or environmental damage from the ammonia process. 
 
The Miller facility is also subject to the Process Safety Manag 
ement regulations under the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).  As a result of these regulations, the Miller facility has implemented a program to further enhance process safety which involves operating procedures, training, mechanical integrity (maintenance related issues), pre-start-up-review, management of change, compliance audits, incident investigation, employee participation, hot work (welding) permits, and contractor safety. 
 
The emergency response plan at the Miller facility contains information and procedures relative to initial response, evacuation, fire response, chemical releases, severe weather, bomb threats, facility specific information (site maps/drawings, security, communication system, emergency organization), emergency/spill prevention, post emergency procedures, training summary, and administrative management of change.   
 
The emergency response team receives extensive annual training to deal with an accidental release at the facility.   
 
The eme 
rgency response plan for the facility will be submitted to and coordinated with the Eden Fire Department, the Eden Police Department, Rockingham County Emergency Management, and the Moorehead Hospital.
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