Hawkins Chemical, Inc. - Executive Summary |
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RMP Executive Summary - Hawkins Chemical, Inc. Minneapolis Since Hawkins Chemical was founded in 1938, the company has become a critical source of chemical products for communities and businesses across the upper Midwest. For example, nearly all municipal and industrial water treatment facilities in the region rely on Hawkins for water disinfectants and other treatment products, equipment and expertise. Hawkins Chemical is based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with branches that meet local needs in six neighboring states. The company's primary business is to repackage, custom-blend and distribute products for the water disinfection, pharmaceutical, food, computer and other industries. Hawkins has prepared and filed a Risk Management Plan for its headquarters facility in Minneapolis, where its primary activity is to receive products such as packaged chlorine and to redistribute those products in quantities appropriate for individual customer facilities. Because of its historical repu tation for responsiveness, customers also turn to staff at this facility for customized services such as blending a product that makes cheese creamy or the supply of specialized laboratory chemicals for medical research facilities. The Risk Management Plan that Hawkins staff have filed for this facility is a planning and prevention tool; it helps us to better identify hazards and communicate with others. Risk Management Plans are developed by facilities that have sufficient quantities of any of 140 hazardous materials on site; at this facility, we handle four of those materials. In the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency has estimated that 66,000 such facilities will have to file Risk Management Plans in 1999. Key Products The products covered in our Risk Management Plan for this facility are: * Chlorine: Chlorine and bleach (sodium hypochlorite) are well-known and trusted disinfectants for drinking water, waste water, food processing equipment, swimming pools, etc. * Sulfur dioxide: Used to make paper and by water treatment facilities to purify water. * Ammonia: Used for refrigeration at hockey rinks and at food cold-storage facilities. Also used in water treatment. * Hydrofluoric acid: Used to clean metal, such as that used in semiconductors. Planning Scenarios In addition to identifying and reporting materials of interest, RMP also requires companies to prepare two accident scenarios as a way to plan for--and thus to prevent--hazardous accidents. The first of the two types of planning scenarios required under RMP is called a "worst-case scenario." Facilities develop and share this scenario with emergency responders as a planning tool, not a prediction. The worst-case scenario, as its name indicates, assumes a complete and simultaneous failure in every one of several layers of mechanical and safety controls, that the worst possible weather conditions exist, and that the entire contents of our largest container would release suddenly. Our worst-case scenario involves a one-ton cylinder of chlorine, a product which our customers use to make water safe. Assuming the worst-case scenario, the entire contents of the cylinder would release at our site over a ten-minute period and would travel 1.3 miles by air before dispersing to a level that is not harmful. This estimate is based on EPA's guidance for water treatment facilities, which handle chlorine similarly to Hawkins. Again, the worst case scenario is a planning tool, not a prediction. In fact, such a catastrophic release of chlorine has never occurred anywhere. Many mechanical and procedural safeguards are in place to make sure even small releases don't happen. For example, the cylinder is equipped with pressure relief valves which will prevent catastrophic failure from over-pressurization. The second of the planning scenarios are known as "alternative release scenarios," which are somewhat more realistic possibilities than the worst-case scenari o. Hawkins' first alternative scenario also involves chlorine. In this planning scenario, a 150-pound container might have a faulty pressure relief device (fuse plug) which leaks some chlorine. For this scenario, EPA estimates the chlorine gas would travel a distance of 0.12 miles by air over 60 minutes before it dissipates to a level that is not harmful. Hawkins also has prepared alternative release scenarios for other products on site, which would travel as a gas. These include: a container of ammonia might leak, traveling 0.10 mile over 3.8 minutes; a container of sulfur dioxide might leak, traveling 0.10 mile over 60 minutes; or a container of hydrofluoric acid might leak, traveling 0.10 mile over 1.5 minutes. Risk Management Hawkins provides products critical to meeting the region's public health and manufacturing needs. Some of these products pose risks, which is why all Hawkins employees share a commitment to safety. Our safety policy states: "Hawkins Chemical, Inc. recognizes its obligation to provide all employees with a safe and healthful workplace. The Company has provided, and will continue to provide, the human, physical and financial resources necessary to meet this objective. We expect all employees of the Company to use these resources to make our operations as safe and healthful as is humanly possible." Planning for accidents, such as that done through RMP, helps to ensure that they never happen. In fact, our RMP for Minneapolis reports no accidents involving listed products over the reportable period of five years. Hawkins has nearly 85 years of experience in handling chlorine and is a leader in national efforts to ensure safe handling of chemicals. Reality is, however, that accidents can happen. That's why we continually update mechanical safeguards and invest heavily in training for our employees and our customers. During the past few years we have made more than $1 million in safety investments at this facility, including upgra ding the physical infrastructure by adding cement dikes and installing a state-of-the-art sprinkler system. Although not listed under RMP, some products of a Hawkins subsidiary, the Lynde Company, had been involved in two separate fires at the Minneapolis facility. The Lynde Company was sold and moved out of Minneapolis in 1997. Future upgrades will include the construction of a state-of-the art facility in another part of the Twin Cities; most of our water treatment products, including chlorine, will be moved to the new facility by the end of 2000. In addition to our internal efforts, safety and emergency response planning also is coordinated with local and national officials, including the Minneapolis Fire Department and Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. Hawkins also must regularly meet requirements in industrial wastewater, national pollutant discharge (NPDS) and other permits. |