Deli & Smoked Meats Division - Executive Summary |
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1. Accidental release prevention and emergency response policies. This facility complies with 29 CFR 1910.119 OSHA Process Safety Management (PSM) standard and it is our policy to adhere to all applicable federal, state, and local laws. If an emergency would occur trained facility employees in cooperation with the City of Detroit fire department, would respond to mitigate the emergency. 2. Facility description and regulated substances handled. This facility processes packaged meat products (e.g., hams, sausage, and sliced lunch meats) for sale and consumption by the public. Ammonia (anhydrous) NH3 is used as the refrigerant in the cooling process. The ammonia is circulated in a closed loop system that changes the ammonia from a liquid to a gas and then back to a liquid. As the ammonia is circulated as a gas throughout the system heat is removed from the air in the plant and storage rooms, thereby cooling the product. The system contains approximately 39,500 pounds of ammonia. 3. Worst-case release scenario and alternative release scenario. The worst-case release scenario is failure of the main storage tank, (with a maximum capacity of 6,623 pounds of ammonia), resulting in a vapor cloud explosion. Company procedures limit the release to 17% of the total system capacity for a 10 minute release. According to the Cameo/Marplot/Aloha computer-modeling program the distance to the toxic endpoint would be .75 miles. The total population within this distance is estimated at 11,000. For the alternate release scenario a more realistic pressure vessel failure was used. According to the Cameo/Marplot/Aloha computer-modeling program the distance to the toxic endpoint would be .29 miles. The total population within this distance is estimated at 3,000. 4. General accidental release prevention program and chemical-specific prevention steps. This facility maintains compliance with 29 CFR 1910.119 OSHA's Process Safety Management standard and 40 CFR Part 68 EPA's Risk Manangemt Program and all applicable state and local codes and regulations. The refrigeraion system is maintained in accordance with IIAR, ANSI/ASHRAE, ASME standards, and local mechanical and fire codes for refrigeration equipment. 5. Five year accident history. There have been three acidental releases of ammonia in the past 5 years; the largest release was estimated to be 5,000 pounds. One employee was hopitalized and eight other employees required medical attention in all three releases. There were no offsite injuries. Evacuation or sheltering in place of the general public was not required in any of the three releases. 6. Emergency response program. Facility employees have been trained to respond to accidental ammonia releases. The site emergency plan is being coordinated with the community emergency plan under the jurisdiction of the Local Emergency Planning Commission (LEPC) and Detroit Fire Department. 7. Planned changes to improve safety. The facility plans to co ntinue with its efforts to comply with all applicable standards and regulations related to ammonia refrigeration systems. |