GE Appliances - Bloomington, Inc. - Executive Summary |
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 0.1 INTRODUCTION This Risk Management Plan is part of GE Appliances continuing commitment to minimize the potential for any negative impact from our facility on our workers, our community neighbors, or the environment. It is the stated policy of GE Appliances to safely manage our site operations. We believe it is important for all interested parties to have access to information that can help them better understand our business and our facility. If you have any questions about this document, or any other aspect of our company or our plans, please contact our community relations representative, at (812) 334-9270. 0.2 ACCIDENTAL RELEASE PREVENTION AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE POLICIES Our company is committed to operating safe and environmentally sound production facilities everywhere we do business. Protection of our neighbors and workers is the highest priority. This ongoing commitment to worker and public safety is demonstrated through resources invested for saf e design, operation, and maintenance of our facilities. In order to provide top quality products for our customers, the GE Appliances Bloomington facility uses in its manufacturing process some raw materials that are classified as toxic by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). We are committed to comply with governing laws, regulations, and engineering standards as well as systematic assessments to manage and maintain a safe operation. Our operating practices and procedures ensure that numerous controls are implemented to prevent an accidental release of a chemical. However, if a major release does occur, our on-site emergency response plan will be activated. 0.3 DESCRIPTION OF THE FACILITY AND REGULATED SUBSTANCES The GE Appliances facility is located in an industrial area on the west side of Bloomington, IN. Here we manufacturer nearly a million side-by-side refrigerators each year. The facility has been in existence sine the 1950s and employs over 3000 workers fr om the surrounding community. In order to ensure quality products, quality service and quality of life, GE has invested millions of dollars in the site for expansion, capital improvement, safety and environmental protection. The Bloomington site uses one chemical that is regulated under the EPA's Risk Management Program (RMP) rule. This is Toluene Diisocyanate (TDI), a regulated toxic substance. TDI is a raw material used to manufacture the polyurethane insulating foam in our refrigerators. 0.4 HAZARD ASSESSMENT RESULTS As part of our risk management planning, we have specifically identified the type of event as required by the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that, should it ever occur, no matter how unlikely, would have the most negative impacts on our workers and our neighbors. This is known as the Worst-Case Scenario (WCS). In order for this event to occur, we are required to assume that the numerous engineering and administrative safety controls we have in p lace to prevent or mitigate such accidents have all failed at once. This worst-case scenario would involve the catastrophic failure of a bulk storage tank containing TDI liquid. A catastrophic failure means a type of event that essentially results in the instantaneous release of the entire vessel contents, which is up to 122,000 pounds of TDI. If this were to occur, a secondary containment dike would contain the pool of TDI liquid from spreading. The TDI liquid would slowly evaporate and the vapors would disperse in the direction of the prevailing wind. According to EPA guidelines, exposure to TDI at levels above 0.98 parts per million (0.007 mg per liter) for approximately one hour can result in serious health effects. We have estimated that this level of TDI could reach no farther than approximately 350 feet from the location of the spill. Our safety procedures ensure that TDI storage and handling is set back at least 350 feet from our property boundary. (We have report ed an evaporation rate of 0.2 pounds per minute in this document since EPA has indicated there is a software bug that does not allow us to report the actual value of 0.07 pounds per minute. EPA intends to correct this deficiency in future versions of RMP*Submit). 0.5 GENERAL ACCIDENTAL RELEASE PREVENTION / CHEMICAL-SPECIFIC PREVENTION STEPS GE Appliances has in place specific safety devices and procedures designed to prevent accidental releases of hazardous chemicals. These are an integral part of working safely at GE Appliances. These programs ensure that proper safety information is in place; operating procedures are followed; chemical hazards are identified; employees are trained; and critical equipment is inspected and maintained. Some of the many environmental health and safety controls or practices to prevent a chemical accident include: 7 Secondary containment dikes provided at TDI chemical unloading areas. 7 Dikes around bulk TDI storage tanks to contain a spill and mi nimize emissions to the atmosphere. 7 Bulk TDI storage tanks are located inside, and are isolated from the manufacturing operation. 7 All main bulk tanks are equipped with level indicators to prevent overfill. 7 Computerized TDI vapor monitoring system to warn of a release. 7 Environmental health and safety information about the processes and the chemicals available to employees. 7 Written spill reporting procedures and emergency response actions. 7 Maintenance programs to ensure ongoing equipment reliability. 7 Compliance auditing to ensure standards are being followed. GE is engaged in an aggressive and comprehensive effort to identify and address Year 2000 issues. We are in the process of inventorying our equipment at the site, interviewing suppliers, putting into place corrective actions where necessary, and developing a contingency plan. We are on track to complete this process prior to the critical roll-over date and believe we have addressed the systems and equipment necess ary for safe site operation. 0.6 FIVE YEAR ACCIDENT HISTORY The Bloomington site has an excellent record of accident prevention that demonstrates its commitment to public and worker safety. Even minor incidents are investigated to identify what went wrong and to learn how to prevent future occurrences. EPA requires that all incidents involving regulated chemicals that resulted in any off-site impact or significant on-site impacts are reported in this document. During the previous five-year period, no such incidents occurred at the plant site. 0.7 EMERGENCY RESPONSE PROGRAM The Bloomington site maintains a written emergency response program designed to protect workers, the public, and the environment in the event of a major accident or fire at the site. In the event of any significant release of TDI we will contact the appropriate federal, state, and local authorities as required by our Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasure Plan and the specific situation. Ongoing emergency response coordination is important to GE's emergency response organization and helps better prepare our partners in the community for emergency response necessary in the unlikely event of a major industrial incident. GE personnel have helped develop emergency preparedness plans for local communities. In addition, they are members of local emergency planning and emergency preparedness groups and are active members of local industry groups involved with risk management planning. 0.8 PLANNED CHANGES TO IMPROVE SAFETY GE Appliances is committed to continuously improving the overall safety and environmental performance record at the Bloomington facility. GE continuously strives to find new and innovative ways to improve its manufacturing processes thereby reducing waste, improving environmental performance, and minimizing risk. Currently, GE Appliances is working diligently to identify a new insulating foam formulation that would increase the energy efficiency of our refrigerators, while at the same time reduce or eliminate the use of TDI. |