Drayton Enterprises, LLC - Executive Summary

| Accident History | Chemicals | Emergency Response | Registration | Source | Executive Summary |

Drayton Enterprises continues to place a high priority on chemical safety. Drayton Enterprises maintains 3 - shift coverage seven days per week at the Fargo, ND facility with one designated person on call during the weekend. 
 
Drayton Enterprises manufactures frozen dough. Anhydrous ammonia is used in the refrigeration system at this facility. Ammonia is the most efficient and environmentally compatible refrigerant available. Although it is toxic at high concentration and is an irritating gas, it is not a cumulative metabolic poison, does not cause cancer or other dread diseases and does not cause lasting environmental damage. The refrigeration system at this facility has a capacity of about 13,100 pounds of ammonia, but normally operates at approximately 5,000 to 6,000 pounds. 
 
Drayton Enterprises calculates ammonia worst case release scenarios using the Model RMP for Ammonia Refrigeration, May 1996. Drayton Enterprises' manufacturing facility is located in an area that meets the defin 
ition of "urban". Drayton Enterprises has chosen to calculate worst case release poundage for the largest high-pressure receiver in the system, filled to full calculated hydraulic capacity. Reduced volume for administrative controls was not used, since the described scenario would probably occur only as a result of a catastrophic vessel rupture caused by a total filling of the vessel, closure of all vessel block valves, and failure of all pressure relief valves, with a simultaneous increase in liquid temperature sufficient to overpressure the vessel to the point of failure. 
 
A release rate of 100 lb./min. will be used as an alternate case scenario as suggested in the Model RMP. 
 
The "urban" site condition will be used. 
 
Based on the above, the worst-case ammonia release scenario for the facility will be 6,700 pounds released over a 10-minute period. The alternate case will be a release rate of 100 pounds per minute. 
 
The ammonia refrigeration system is covered by the OSHA Process Safet 
y Management (PSM) rule, 29 CFR 1910.119. 
 
The Fargo, ND facility is currently organizing and conducting training on the written respiratory program for all maintenance personnel. The training will be conducted by an Industrial Hygienist from MeritCare Occupational Health Services. The training will be designed with a heavy emphasis on ammonia safety and personal protective equipment. The Emergency Response Plan indicates that all employees will evacuate the facility and contact the local Fire Department if a release should occur. Copies of emergency plans will be filed with the Fire Department and annual facility walkthroughs will be conducted with Fire Officers. Preplanned command posts and staging areas will be designated and  
a post-incident debriefing will be conducted after each incident. 
 
Since a continuous improvement philosophy is deeply imbedded in the Drayton Enterprises' corporate culture, improvements in system safety are implemented as a result of employee-based teams and 
as a result of system engineering modifications and extensions. Post incident debriefings and incident investigations are used to identify additional improvements to system safety.
Click to return to beginning