Johnson Controls, Inc. - Executive Summary |
|
Johnson Controls, Inc. corporate and facility staff are committed to safety and are continually evaluating ways to improve safety programs and reduce chemical usage. The facility is inspected annually by the corporate auditor and insurance carrier to evaluate the facility's safety programs. Mr. Joseph McCorkel, the individual with overall responsibility for this RMP, is an active member of the Elkhart County Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC). Established in 1937, Johnson Controls, Inc. is a major manufacturer of refrigeration control systems. The facility uses anhydrous ammonia, a regulated substance, as a source of hydrogen fuel for a metal heat treating operation. Anhydrous ammonia is stored in two 4,000 gallon tanks and is piped to two gas dissociators which break the ammonia into its elemental gasses, hydrogen and nitrogen. Hydrogen is directed to the heat treating furnaces and nitrogen, the major natural component in air, is vented to atmosphere. The worst-case rel ease scenario was modeled according to EPA guidelines and involves the catastrophic failure of one, full anhydrous ammonia storage tank. It is not likely that such an event would occur. EPA requires that five alternative release scenarios be considered and that one more likely to occur than the worst-case scenario be used in an off-site consequence analysis. This facility has no history of ammonia under EPA's alternative release scenarios. Therefore, for purposes of this Risk Management Plan (RMP), the example alternative release scenario provided in EPA's "Model Risk Management Program and Plan for Ammonia Refrigeration" was used. It is not likely that this alternative release scenario would occur. Johnson Controls, Inc. has safely operated the anhydrous ammonia system, without incident, since it was installed in 1968. The facility is continually working to improve the safety of this anhydrous ammonia system. Recently a roof was installed over the tanks to shield them from the hot summer sun to reduce the potential for venting. The facility is covered by the Elkhart County LEPC community emergency response plan and has procedures for notifying local emergency responders in the event of an accidental release of anhydrous ammonia. |