Airgas Carbonic - Star, MS - Executive Summary |
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Star, MS The Star, MS carbon dioxide plant was commissioned in 1987, and has operated since that time with no reportable releases of toxic materials. This plant is one of the largest in the 27 year history of this company, which has not experienced any release conditions throughout that period in any of its operations. The plant personnel are all trained thoroughly in proper plant operations, safety, and emergency procedures. Our primary concerns are the protection of our employees and our surrounding environment. Extensive evaluation and use of systems designed to minimize both the potential for toxic releases, and the rapid control of them if they occur are standard practices in all of our plants. Our plant management and staff work closely with the Local Emergency Planning Commission and near-by industrial companies to assure a safe work environment and a coordinated response to any chemical releases in our areas. Annual PSM audits and regular safety meetings and training kee p our systems current, and our employees aware and trained for the rapid mitigation of any possible chemical releases. Our emphasis is on preventive actions, with proper maintenance, operation, and engineering controls to prevent potentially hazardous conditions. Our emergency preparedness plans keep us ready to act properly in the unlikely event that a primary control system malfunctions. The carbon dioxide industry as a whole has an excellent operating safety record, and we are proud to contribute to that accomplishment. Additionally, the use of ammonia as a refrigerant has a long history. The guidelines from the Ammonia Refrigeration Institute have been developed and used over many years to successfully control this critical system. We have adopted these guidelines for our use to benefit from this extensive resource. Ammonia is the only potentially hazardous release chemical in our facility, so the control and use of those systems is our only significant concern. With those systems properly designed, used, and maintained, we are confident of maintaining the long history of safe operation that we have established at this time.on |