Doskocil Foods - Executive Summary |
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Accident Release Prevention Program and Emergency Response Policy It is the policy of the Doskocil Food Service Company (Doskocil) facility management to implement the requirements of this Risk Management Program (RMP) in accordance with the USEPA regulations under 40 CFR Part 68 and with the corresponding regulations under OSHA's Process Safety Management (PSM) program. The objective is to minimize the risk of a release of a hazardous material and if a release occurs, to minimize the potential impact to Doskocil employees, the public and the environment. This objective will be accomplished by utilizing general good operating procedures, providing appropriate training to all employees, and coordinating response activities, as necessary, with the local emergency response providers. Doskocil's management is committed to providing the resources necessary to implement this policy. Facility Description Doskocil operates a meat processing operation at this facility. Whole sale pepperoni is the main product produced by Doskocil at this facility. Operations at the facility include smokehouses, ovens, drying rooms and a number of coolers and chillers. Figure 1 shows the site location and Figure 2 shows the facility layout. One chemical, ammonia, is utilized at the facility in sufficient quantities to be subject to the requirements of 40 CFR Part 68, RMP. Ammonia is used as a refrigerant throughout the facility. Worst-Case and Alternative-Case Release Scenarios RMP regulations require that each facility complete worst-case and alternative-case release scenarios. USEPA has defined a worst-case toxic release as the release of the entire contents of the largest vessel that contains a regulated substance in a 10-minute period. This release rate is then evaluated using modeling techniques and/or reference tables to define the distance to a specified endpoint (concentration or overpressure). The distance to the endpoint is affected by several factors including mo lecular weight, volatility, heat of combustion, and physical setting (urban or rural). The alternative release scenario for each covered process must be one that is more likely to occur than the worst-case scenario and that reaches an endpoint off site, unless no such scenario exists. The alternative release scenario is evaluated using the same techniques as the worst-case scenario to define the distance to the specified endpoint. Under 40 CFR 68 Subpart B '68.22(e), the RMP rule identifies surface roughness as a parameter to be used in the hazard assessment to determine the physical setting of the site, urban or rural. "Urban means there are many obstacles in the immediate area; obstacles include buildings or trees. Rural means there are no buildings in the immediate area and the terrain is generally flat and unobstructed." Due to the presence of trees, hills, and other structures in the immediate vicinity of the Jefferson, Wisconsin, facility, an urban dispersion environment was as sumed. Ammonia The data provided in the document "Model Risk Management Program and Plan for Ammonia Refrigeration" (May 1996) was used to estimate the toxic endpoint distance for the worst-case and alternative ammonia release scenarios. The EPA's "RMP Off-site Consequence Analysis Guidance" (May 1996) was not used to determine the toxic endpoint since it classifies ammonia as a "neutrally buoyant gas." The worst-case ammonia release would involve liquid and would come from a pressurized liquid system; the released gas should be classified as a "dense gas" (a result of evaporative cooling). The ammonia refrigeration document provides calculated endpoint distances for typical meteorological conditions. The worst-case release scenario for an anhydrous ammonia release is a release of all the contents of the north-side pressure receiver in a 10-minute period (per EPA guidelines). This release translates to a release of 19,200 pounds of ammonia in 10 minutes or 1,920 lbs/min. Other assumpti ons included in the worst-case assessment are: the ammonia is a liquefied gas; the receiver is not diked; the release does not take place indoors; the nearfield dispersion environment is characterized as urban; 10-minute averaging period; the wind speed is 1.5 meters/sec and the atmospheric stability is classified as F (stable). The results of the worst-case assessment for ammonia show that the plume must travel 1.59 miles (2.57 kilometers) before dispersing to the endpoint concentration of 200 ppm. Figure 3 shows the worst-case release zone. The selected alternative-release scenario for the ammonia system is a release from a relief valve due to overpressure of a compressor unit. The largest relief valve in the system was used in this scenario. The largest relief valve has a relief rate of 148.5 pounds of air per minute. As a matter of convention, the specified release rate of any relief valve is always in pounds of air per minute. The release rate of 148.5 pounds of air per minute cor relates into a release rate of 106.5 pounds of ammonia vapor per minute. This release rate was applied to a release from the ammonia header on top of the building. The ammonia refrigeration document provides calculated endpoint distances for typical meteorological conditions (3 m/s wind speed, D atmospheric stability, 50% relative humidity). It has been determined, through a review of Doskocil's operational history, that the total release would likely be 500 pounds or less of ammonia. Based on the release rate of 106.5 lbs/min, the duration for a 500-pound release is 4.7 minutes. Other assumptions include no active or passive mitigation measures are currently in place and an urban dispersion environment in the nearfield. The results of the alternative release scenario for an ammonia release indicates that the endpoint concentration of 200 ppm is reached at 0.059 miles (94.5 meters) from the release point. Figure 4 shows the alternate-case release zone. Note that this represents an overestimate of the distance as the ammonia released from the relief valve has been assumed to be a dense gas. General Accidental Release Prevention Program and Chemical Specific Prevention Steps The Jefferson, Wisconsin, facility is governed by a set of OSHA and USEPA regulations that require planning and facility activities intended to prevent a release of hazardous material, or if a release inadvertently occurs, to minimize the consequences of a release to the employees of the facility, the public and to the environment. These regulations include: * 40 CFR Part 68, Accidental Release Prevention * 40 CFR Part 112, Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure * 40 CFR Part 264, Hazardous Waste Contingency Plan * 29 CFR Part 119, Process Safety Management The key concepts in Doskocil's release prevention program are employee participation, appropriate design and maintenance of equipment, and appropriate training of all employees. Employee participation in the release prevention progra m is encouraged and supported by Doskocil management. Doskocil management and hourly personnel are members of the PSM committee. Key personnel are responsible for conducting and implementing the findings from the Process Hazard Analysis (PHA) for the ammonia system. Doskocil employees are also members of the facility emergency response team. Doskocil has an emergency response plan in place and sufficient equipment on site to respond to most ammonia releases. Doskocil policy is to construct all new equipment, systems, and facilities to ensure the appropriate safety and release prevention systems are included from the beginning of each project. Doskocil maintains a computerized program of maintenance activities to ensure that key systems are maintained appropriately to minimize the risk of a release. Doskocil is committed to providing appropriate training to all employees regarding safety procedures. Each new employee is provided comprehensive safety training during their initial orienta tion for the facility. In addition, Doskocil conducts regularly scheduled safety training for all employees each year. Additional training is provided to maintenance personnel for the systems they are responsible for. Members of Doskocil's emergency response team receive annual training to ensure that response actions are promptly and safely completed. Five Year Accident History Doskocil has not had a release of ammonia from the Jefferson, Wisconsin, facility that has affected the public or the environment within the last five years. Emergency Response Program Doskocil has personnel trained in emergency response at the facility 24 hours per day, seven days per week. These personnel receive annual training on emergency procedures and response techniques. The program is coordinated with the local fire department. Planned Changes to Improve Safety Doskocil completes a thorough review of the ammonia system each time a design change is implemented. Doskocil is committed to using these metho ds to identify and implement ways to improve the safety of the system. The PSM committee is involved with any modification of the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), Process and Instrumentation Diagrams (P&IDs), and the Emergency Response Plan. Currently, the PSM committee is in the process of modifying the portion of the system located in the basement. |