Fisher Farmers Coop Elevator - Executive Summary |
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The Fisher Farmers Coop Elevator is a primary supplier of agricultural chemical to the farming community of Polk County, Minnesota. Among those services delivered by the Fisher Farmers Coop Elevator is the bulk storage and transfer of anhydrous ammonia for use as an agricultural nutriant. The owners and employees of the Fisher Farmers Coop Elevator are all acutely aewre of the safety precautions necessary for the safe handling of anhydrous ammonia and the other agricultural chemicals at the facility. It is the policy taht all possible saftey precautions are taken in all day-to-day operations. Continuous cooperation with the local response units of the Fisher Fire and Rescue team is compnay policy. Fisher Farmers Coop Elevator plns for all conceivable emergencies. Plans are in place to adress the rection of Fisher Farmers Coop Elevator employees to correctly react to the worst possible release, a leak that would allow the entire contents of the ammonia inventory to escape. Ong oing safety trainig addresses the proper response to the relese of lesser quantities of ammonia such as a valve failur or hase rupture. Fisher Farmers Coop Elevator participates with its suppliers and National Associations in a comprehensive safety traing program for its employees Including Fertilizer/46 chemical courses on ammonia safety, VCR taped instuctional cources on ammonia safety, Safety workshhets, and On-the-job traing and evaluation. Fisher Farmers Coop Elevator has a preventative mantenance program to prevent the accidental release of ammonia. Key elements of this PM program are the periodic inspection of equipment and periodic replacement before failure of critical safety equipment. Fisher Farmers Coop Elevator maintains close cooperation with the local response authoities. Annual Exercises are held with the Fisher Fire & Rescue department to ensure the responders are all knowledgable about the workings of the Fisher Farmers Coop Elevator ammonia plant. Fisher Farmers Coop Elevator has an up-to-date list of local State and Federal emergency notification and assistance agencies. Fisher Farmers Coop Elevator contually seeks improvements to the safety of its ammonia plant. In 1998 Fisher Farmers Coop Elevator added new pull-away hose protection at its filling stantions. This equipment reduces the dangers of the most common release at agricultural ammonia plants, transfer hose rupture when the vehicle drives away without diconnecting the hoses. |