Hydrite Chemical Co. - Cottage Grove East - Executive Summary |
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Hydrite Chemical Co. operates as a distributor and manufacturer of chemicals used in a variety of industries from food processing to waste water treatment. We at Hydrite Chemical are strongly committed to employee and public safety and environmental responsibility. It is our policy to control our processes to prevent the accidental release of harmful or noxious materials that could endanger or irritate our employees, plant visitors, or neighbors. This commitment is integrated into our design standards, equipment installation and maintenance practices, operating procedures and training programs. Hydrite Chemical has developed and trained written emergency response procedures in the event of an accidental release from any of our processes. These written plans have been provided to the local emergency response agencies including local emergency response personnel, hospitals, state and federal agencies. Hydrite uses two chemicals regulated by the Occupational Safety and Health Admini stration (OSHA), Process Safety Management Program and the Environmental Protection Agency Risk Management Program. These chemicals are Formaldehyde (solution), and Butene. The on-site storage capacity for Formaldehyde is 90,500 pounds and Butene is 4,800 pounds. Butene is present in quantities less than the regulatory threshold quantity. Regulated materials are received from various suppliers and stored in containers including drums, bulk storage tank, and compressed gas cylinders. These containers meet DOT specifications. All storage and ancillary equipment is designed to comply with National Standards including the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), the Fertilizer Institute, National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and OSHA. Hydrite Chemical has multiple release prevention programs integrated into all phases of operation from design through maintenance. Each chemical is reviewed for physical hazards, health hazards, environmental hazards and process haza rds. All processes are subject to the OSHA PSM program and as such, undergo a Process Hazard Analysis (PHA). Written operating procedures have been developed and are reviewed on a regular basis. Employee training procedures have been developed and are implemented ensuring the employees understand the hazards of the chemical, know how to operate the equipment, know how to shut down the process and how to respond to a release. Pre-start up safety reviews are performed prior to operation of new equipment or receipt of new chemicals. Equipment maintenance procedures have been developed and implemented, including routine inspections and scheduled maintenance. Hydrite Chemical believes that every incident has the potential for serious impact and conducts Incident Investigations to determine root cause and corrective action for all releases. A review of the previous five year accident history indicates no releases of regulated materials. The EPA's RMP requires a worst case scenario th at represents all regulated toxic substances. The worst case scenario for a toxic liquid is based on the total loss of the maximum quantity stored in each vessel. Common water solutions releases are assumed to occur during the first 10 minutes of release, into a diked area of 2694 sq.ft. with weather conditions as defined by EPA in the Offsite Consequence Analysis Guidance. Hydrite elected to use the RMP*Comp modeling software supplied by EPA to model formaldehyde (solution) as the ALOHA packaged used for other locations does not have the capability for water solutions. The worst case scenario for Formaldehyde does have off-site impacts. Alternate release scenarios are based on events that can reasonably be expected to occur. The alternate scenario for bulk formaldehyde (solution) assumes pump/seal failure which would release 500 gallons into a diked area. In the event of fire or release, a foam suppression system is readily available. Weather conditions used were as specified in the EPA Offsite Consequence analysis Guidance. Due to ALOHA's inability to model aqueous solutions of formaldehyde, Hydrite used RMP*Comp for modeling the formaldehyde scenario. Hydrite Chemical has developed and maintains an Emergency Response Plan (Contingency Plan). This Plan is integrated into the Local Emergency Planning Committees' (LEPC's) county wide plan. The Plan is reviewed and updated as required. Emergency Responders receive formal training on the Plan annually. The Plan includes: * Actions facility personnel must take in the event of fire, explosion or release * Arrangements with the local and state governments in the event of an accident * Names, addresses and telephone numbers of all emergency responders * Necessary emergency equipment and how it is to be implemented Cottage Grove has a Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure Plan (SPCC) which is reviewed and approved triennially by a Professional Engineer. Hydrite Chemical is strongly committed to employee and public safety and environmental responsibility and continually works to improve processes or procedures that advance our goal of zero releases. |