Miller Brewing Company (Albany, GA) - Executive Summary

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The Miller Brewing Company is committed to promoting a safe working environment and has developed and implemented several programs to enhance chemical safety. The facility operates an ammonia refrigeration process and has several methods for ensuring employee and public safety associated with this process.  The facility has developed procedures, plans and policies for the operation of the ammonia process and for dealing with unexpected accidental releases.  The Miller Brewing Company has implemented a process safety management program that enhances safety by regular maintenance and inspections, hazard analysis, compliance audits, employee and contractor training, employee participation, ammonia monitoring/detection, and other activities.  The Miller facility has an Emergency Response Team that is trained for hazardous material response and additional training to include incipient fire response and confined space rescue.  The facility also has emergency response procedures and plans to  
promote chemical safety in the event of an emergency situation. 
 
The Miller Brewing Company is engaged in the beer production business.  As part of the brewing process, an ammonia refrigeration system is utilized.  Due to the quantity of ammonia maintained on-site, the facility is subject to the Risk Management Program regulations which are meant to promote safety at the facility and general public level. 
 
A worst-case release scenario was modeled to determine the greatest impact a release of ammonia from the facility could reasonably cause.  This scenario is based on a complete and total release of ammonia from the largest ammonia vessel located at the facility.  The worst-case release of ammonia is a complete release of 13,000 pounds of ammonia in a ten minute period.  Computer modeling was used to reasonably evaluate the impacts from such a release.  The modeling indicates that the worst case release would impact public receptors beyond the property boundaries.   
 
An alternative rel 
ease scenario was also evaluated.  The alternative release scenario is based on a leak in ammonia piping located on the roof of the facility.  The alternative release scenario is a scenario that is more likely to occur than the worst-case scenario.  The modeling indicates that the alternative case release would impact public receptors beyond the property boundaries. 
 
In the previous five years, the Miller facility has not had any accidental releases that resulted in any deaths, injuries, or significant property damage on-site, or known off-site deaths, injuries, evacuations, sheltering-in-place, property damage, or environmental damage from the ammonia process. 
 
The Miller facility is subject to the Process Safety Management regulations under the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).  As a result of these regulations, the Miller facility has implemented a program to further enhance process safety which involves operating procedures, training, mechanical integrity (maint 
enance related issues), pre-start-up-review, management of change, compliance audits, incident investigation, employee participation, hot work (welding) permits, and contractor safety. 
 
The facility's Emergency Contingency Plan contains information regarding emergency contacts, emergency recognition and prevention, emergency medical treatment and first aid, procedures for handling emergency incidents, personal protective equipment and emergency equipment, and procedures for reporting incidents to local, state and federal agencies.  As previously mentioned, the brewery maintains an Emergency Response Team that receives extensive annual training to deal with an accidental release at the facility. 
 
As part of the Emergency Contingency Plan, the Miller facility requested a written statement of commitment from local resources to assist in the event of an emergency that the Emergency Response Team is unable to handle or one that may impede on the surrounding community.  These agencies includ 
e the Albany Fire Department and the Albany Police Department.
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