Bright Harvest Sweet Potato Company - Executive Summary |
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Bright Harvest Sweet Potato Company Clarksville, Arkansas Food Processing Facility EPA Risk Management Program Executive Summary 1. Accidental Release Prevention and Emergency Response Polices This Bright Harvest Sweet Potato Company manufacturing site complies with applicable federal, state and local regulations. This food processing facility has a formal worker safety program. All employees are informed of hazards in the workplace. Employees who work with potentially hazardous substances receive proper training in the handling of those substances. This facility has procedures in place to safely remove employees from areas in the unlikely event that a hazardous substance release were to occur, and to put in place emergency notification and response procedures. 2. Facility and Regulate d Substances This food processing facility is located at I-40 Exit 58, Clarksville, Arkansas. Frozen prepared foods are produced at this location. Raw vegetables are received, washed, peeled, cooked, mixed, formed, frozen and packaged. The regulated substance at this facility, anhydrous ammonia, is used in a closed-loop refrigeration system for product cooling and freezing. 3. Worst-Case and Alternate-Case Release Scenarios The worst-case scenario consists of the release of ammonia from the largest vessel over a period of ten minutes. The maximum quantity of ammonia in the vessel is limited to 80-percent of the total volume of 11,050 pounds via written administrative controls, resulting in a release of approximately 8,800 pounds of ammonia. There are off-site impacts under this worst-case scenario. The alternate-case scenario consists of the release of ammonia vapor from a safety relief valve due to an overpressure condition in a vessel located in the facility s machine room . The relief valve is designed to vent ammonia to the atmosphere when its pressure rating is exceeded, preventing potential damage to other components in the refrigeration system. The scenario results in a 172- pound ammonia release over a period of 11 minutes. There are off-site impacts under the alternate-case scenario. 4. General Accidental Release Prevention Program and Ammonia Specific Prevention This Bright Harvest Sweet Potato Company manufacturing locations comply with the OSHA Process Safety Management for Highly Hazardous Chemicals (PSM) standard relative to anhydrous ammonia. Therefore, this facility has programs to ensure proper operation and maintenance of the ammonia refrigeration system. Further, refrigeration system operators have been trained and are knowledgeable in the safe operation of the refrigeration system. The ammonia refrigeration system at this facility has been designed and constructed using good engineering practices and to conform to industry st andards. The system includes ammonia detection devices, an emergency shutdown switch located outside the main mechanical room, high- and low-level switches in pressure vessels, and safety relief valves to avert serious system overpressure. Periodic maintenance on the refrigeration system is ensured via the use of a computerized maintenance management system. Annual physical system audits are performed by an external refrigeration contractor to ensure system integrity. 5. Five Year Accident History During the past five years this facility has had one release that resulted in an offsite evacuation. The evacuation was performed as a precautionary measure. 6. Emergency Response Program At this facility the primary emphasis is to safely evacuate all employees in the event of an accidental release, pursuant to the requirements of OSHA 1910.38 (a). Coordination with the local fire department and LEPC is initiated during an emergency situation. |