Dominick's Finer Foods, Inc. - Executive Summary |
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Dominick's Finer Foods (Dominick's), a Division of Safeway, Inc., has developed a Risk Management Plan (RMP) for their 555 Northwest Avenue, Northlake, IL warehouse (555 Warehouse) to present the compliance elements of the U.S. EPA's Risk Management Program regulations (40 CFR part 68). The intent of the RMP is to prevent accidental releases of Anhydrous Ammonia (ammonia), a regulated substance, and to mitigate the severity of a potential release that may occur. A written copy of the RMP is available to Federal, state and local government agencies and the public, upon request. The key elements of the RMP are presented below. Regulated Process The Dominick's 555 Warehouse maintains a refrigeration system used to refrigerate grocery products on site prior to distribution to various stores. Ammonia is the refrigerant used in the refrigeration system. The ammonia refrigeration system is a closed loop system and consists of vessels, piping, valves and other process equipment. All re frigeration vessels are located inside the warehouse buildings. Processes 1 and 2 are charged at 30,000 pounds and 15,000 pounds, respectively. The refrigeration cycle consists of compressing and expanding ammonia and changing the physical state from high pressure liquid, to low pressure liquid, to low pressure vapor, to high pressure vapor, then back to high pressure liquid. Changes in pressure are directly related to changes in temperature (e.g. lowering the ammonia pressure lowers its temperature). Low-pressure (cold) liquid ammonia provides refrigeration. Typical operating conditions range from approximately 0 psig on the low-pressure side to approximately 180 psig on the high-pressure side. Ammonia is a very efficient refrigerant. It is the most environmentally friendly refrigerant in existence and does not contribute to global warming. It has been in use successfully as a refrigerant for more than 100 years. Dominick's has been using ammonia at the 555 Warehouse for o ver 36 years with only one (1) OSHA reportable incident. Five Year Accident History There was one OSHA reportable, accidental release of ammonia in the past five years. The accident occurred on July 17, 1996. A forklift driver accidentally hit an ammonia pipe line and cracked a fitting. The area was evacuated and the leak was quickly isolated and repaired. The amount of ammonia released was estimated to be 92.3 pounds. There was one injury onsite and no one offsite was injured. Guardrails were installed to protect the pipe. Offsite Consequence Analysis Dominick's has conducted an offsite consequence analysis (OCA) to provide information to the agencies and public about the potential consequences of an accidental release. The OCA was conducted using the recommended LandView III software and U.S.G.S. quadrangle map. The OCA consists of a worst-case release scenario, an alternative release scenario, and defines the offsite receptors relative to these scenarios. The worst-case release scenario and alternative release scenario were performed using the OCA Guidance for Ammonia Refrigeration prepared by the U.S. EPA Chemical Emergency Preparedness and Prevention Office. The worst-case scenario considers a release from a receiver vessel located inside the west freezer warehouse. The receiver vessel is designed to hold 25,860 pounds. However, written administrative control procedures limit the maximum quantity in the vessel to 85%, or 21,981 pounds. To determine the distance to endpoint, the OCA guidance for passive mitigation for a release inside a building was used. The room volume is 97,280 cubic feet and the active ventilation rate is 41.6 exchanges per hour. Using the OCA guidance look-up tables (Exhibit 4-3) and calculations, the mitigated release rate is 747.4 pounds per minute. Using the look-up tables (Exhibit 4-4), the distance to endpoint for the nearest value release rate of 750 pounds per minute is one (1) mile. The total residential popula tion, calculated by the LandView III software, within the 1 mile radius of the west freezer is estimated to be 7,915 persons. The public receptors identified within this circle include residences, schools, recreation areas, and major commercial, office, or industrial areas. The overall impact to public receptors can be minimized by eventually controlling the use and rate of the ventilation fans. The alternative scenario considers the release from a pressurized pipe at an outdoor roof location above the produce building. This scenario consists of a one-quarter inch hole in the pipe with a system pressure of 130 pounds per square inch (psig). Using the OCA guidance look-up tables (Exhibit 4-6), the release rate for a pipe under these conditions is 110 pounds per minute and the distance to endpoint corresponding to this release rate is 0.1 miles. The calculated release duration is 60 minutes. The total residential population, calculated by the LandView III software, within the 0. 1 mile radius of the produce area is estimated to be 77 persons. The public receptors identified within the circle include residences, and major commercial, office, or industrial areas. The LandView III residential population numbers are believed to be conservative since the property use immediately surrounding the 555 Warehouse consist of industrial/warehouse, roadways (including Interstate 294), railroads, and cemeteries. There were no environmental receptors (defined as natural areas such as national or state parks, forests, or monuments; officially designated wildlife sanctuaries, preserves, refuges, or areas; and Federal wilderness areas) located within the designated circles. Management System The Dominick's 555 Warehouse management is committed to chemical safety and adheres to the following policies: 7 To ensure the refrigeration system integrity, 7 To provide necessary training for personnel responsible for the refrigeration system, 7 To provide appropriate release re sponse and reporting training for all employees, 7 To properly train select staff as emergency response personnel, 7 To have a direct line of emergency reporting with the agencies and management, 7 To have appropriate emergency response equipment onsite, and 7 To work with local authorities on an ongoing basis. Prevention Program The Dominick's 555 Warehouse has implemented programs to comply with OSHA's Process Safety Management (PSM) rule and the guidelines established by the International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration (IIAR) and the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). Other technological and procedural/managerial practices have also been implemented to improve the overall facility prevention program. For example, the ammonia refrigeration system is continually being monitored and controlled by an Andover monitoring and control system. The Andover system controls the mechanical functions, which ensures proper operation of t he refrigeration system. Various redundant safety control parameters are built into the program. Indoor area monitors are located in the compressor rooms to detect system releases. Personnel responsible for the refrigeration system receive OSHA, on-the-job, and industry recommended training. Physical equipment inspections are conducted daily. Emergency Response Program The 555 Warehouse has prepared a Contingency Plan which outlines the reporting, notification, evacuation, and mitigation procedures that may be implemented to ensure proper response to and reporting of an emergency situation. The Contingency Plan procedures were designed to meet the following objectives. 7 To save lives 7 To minimize and avoid injuries 7 To protect the environment 7 To minimize property damage Select warehouse personnel (responders) have been properly trained to respond to a release of ammonia. The necessary safety and response equipment is stored onsite in strategic designated areas. Emergen cy response drills are conducted onsite. Dominick's has worked with the Northlake Fire Department to provide details on the site operations and emergency response capabilities. In the event of an accidental release, Dominick's responders will assume overall responsibility for the response while Fire Department personnel will secure evacuated personnel, provide medical surveillance and support for responders, and work with the Local Emergency Planning Committee for public action, if required. |