Schweigert Foods - Executive Summary |
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Risk Management Plan Exective Summary Schweigert Foods Albert Lea MN. Schweigert Foods is a Specialty Food processing plant. The plant is located in Southern MN. in the city of Albert Lea. The plant manufactures process meats the provide the consumer with high quality specalty maet products. The facility is subject to the Environmental Protection Agency's Risk Management Program rules under the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990. The Risk Management Program rules, Require facilities handling threshold amounts of certain chemical substances to submit Risk Management Plans for the prevention of accidental releases of these substances. The plan submission to include hazard assessments defining possible off-site impacts of certain regulated substance release scenarios, a five-year accident history, discription of the facilities accidental release prevention program, and an emergency response program. The following is the Executive Summary of the Risk Management Plan for Schweigert Fo ods, Albert Lea MN. FACILITY SNAPSHOT This facility, was constructed in 1963 by Land-O-Lakes Foods. It was owned by Land-O-Lakes until 1989 when it was purchased by Hudson Foods. In 1998 the plant was sold to Tyson Foods and in 1999 Willow Brook Foods became the Corperate holder of Schweigert Foods. Over 63 million pounds of Spcecalty meat product, is processed annually in the Albert Lea plant. IMPACT ON THE COMMUNITY * Schweigert Foods employ 400 employees at a combined salary of over $8 million. * The facility purchases over $1.8 million in utilities. * Schweigert Foods supports Albert Lea and the state of Minnesota with $150,000 in local and state taxes annually. EMPLOYEE SNAPSHOT Schweigert employees are involved in community actives. The facility supports the United Way, Chamber of Commerce and other community support organizations. Employees are also active in many communtiy organizations. Including the Lions Club, Stateline Safety Council, ALbert Lea and F reeborn County Fire Departments, Local Emergency Planning Committee. Schweigert Employees recognize communites involvement and volunteerism is the most effective way to improve the communities in which they live. ACCIDEDENTAL RELEASE PREVENTION AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE POLICY The management and employees of this facility are committed to the prevention of any accidental releases of any hazardous and regulated substances and to minimize the effects of any such releases that may occur. Prevention of accidental releases is critical to the safe operation of this plant, to the safety of its employees, and to the safety of the general public. To achieve its goals of accident and accidental release prevention, the facility is committed to the following: * A knowlegeable and highly trained and motivated employee group * A well designed facility that is maintained and operated in a superior manner * Improvements that enhance safety and accident prevention where appropriate * Excellenc e in safety programs and practices; a superior safety and accident record * Preparation and training for emergency response and mitigation The plant has had a written Emergency Responce Plan in effect for many years and is committed to respond to and mitigate any accidental release to minimize the impact to employees, the community, and eniviroment. The response plan is coordinated with the Local Emergency Planning Committee and Emergency responce agencies and the plant has interacted with possible responding agencies for many years regarding the plan and activities at the plant. Employees are trained in the implementation of the plan and in possible response activites that could be required in the event of an emergency. The plant has a Hazmat Team made up of management and plant employees who are trained to respond in the event of an ammonia release on site. STATIONARY SOURCE AND REGULATED SUBSTANCES Ammonia refrigeration, storage and handling constitute the processes at this f acility that are covered by the EPA Risk Management Plan rule. The facility has 23,500 pounds of ammonia on site which is used as a refrigerant in its two ammonia refrigeration system. This is two seperate closed and contained system, in which the ammonia is recirulated to refrigerate the meat procesing and storage areas in the plant. SYNOPSIS OF WORST-CASE AND ALTERNATE RELEASE SCENARIOS The Risk Management rules requires a hazard analysis for worst-case and alternate release scenarios for regulated substances present in threshold quantities at the site. The Risk Management rules requires that the largest amount in a single vessel be considered the release quantity for the worst-case event, unless smaller quantities handled at different conditions result in a greater distance to the regulated endpoint of consideration. This is a requirement of the rule regardless of whether the event is likely, or, could even reasonably occur. It should be emphasized that the possibility of such an event as described by the worst-case scenario is extremely low. Alternaate scenarios, for each regulated toxic and flammable substance, which are more likely events, must also be presented. More likely release events tend to concentrate in ares such as failure of smaller valves, lines, and hoses. Significantly lower quantities are involved and operator intervention would tend to mitigate and limit the consequences of such failures. WORST-CASE TOXIC RELEASE - AMMONIA The largest vessel is located outdoors and has a maximum capacity of 3,000 pounds. The worst case scenario assumes that this entire amount would release in 10 minutes, as a result of a catastrophic failure of the tank. The worst-case scenrio would reach public offsite endpoints. ALTERNATE RELEASE TOXICS - AMMONIA The alternate release scenario consists of a pipe leak, which discharges 360 pounds of ammonia in 10 minutes prior to the operator stopping the leak. This scenario may reach offsite endpoints and would effect public receptors. PREVENTION PROGRAM The ammonia refrigeration at this plant is subject to the OSHA Process Safety Management rule, 29 CFR 1910.119. Therefore, under the EPA Risk Management Rule, these are Program Level 3 processes. The OSHA Process Safety Management Programs are in place for these processes, which constitute the Program Level 3 Prevention Programs. This OSHA Process Safety Management / EPA Prevention Program consists of facility management policies and procedures which promotes and recognizes process safety and the prevention of accidents in plants that handle, use, store, and process hazardous chemical materials. This plant adheres to the requirements of Process Safety Management and has written policies and procedures addressing all aspects of Process Safety Management and EPA Prevention Programs. The Prevention Programs consist of several elements and policies listed below: * Employee Participation * Process Safety Information * Process Hazard A nalysis * Operating Procedures * Operator Training * Certified Contractors * Pre-startup Safety Review * Mechanical Integrity * Hot Work Permits * Management of Change * Incident Investigation * Emergency Planning and Response * Compliance Audit EMERGENCY RESPONSE PLAN The Schweigert Foods plant in Albert Lea, has a written Emergency Response Program as required by the Risk Management rule and other Environmental Protection Agency and OSHA rules. This Plan is coordinated with the local community response plan and is available to those responding agencies. Emergency planning and Community Right-To-Know information as required under SARA Title III has been provided to the State Emergency Response Commission, Local Emergency Planning Committee, and other appropriate agencies such as fire departments, law enforcement agencies, and hospitals. Employees receive annual training in the response plan and also receive various safety training, both is general, and in the c ompetencies relative to their required roles in the plan. Periodically, the plan is practiced in a table top, classroom type setting, and also drilled in mock emergencies including participation by outside responding agencies. 5-YEAR ACCIDENT HISTORY Within the last 5 years we have had one accidental release. This release happened on June 27, 1996 and we released approximately 3,000 pounds of ammonia into the outside air. A pressure pressure relief valve, "pop-off" valve is used to control the pressure in the ammonia lines. The cooling water in the ammonia condenser became too low causing an ammonia relief through the "pop-off" valve for approximately 30 minutes. The release was stopped by shutting down the compressors, allowing the "pop-off" valve to reset. Sense the release we have added low water detection devices to the condensers to warn the operator. PLANNED CHANGES FOR SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS Safety improvements are a continual and ongoing process at the plant, facilated by the EPA Prevention Program/OSHA Process Safety Management Program. Formal process hazard analysis is conducted at least every five years, byt review is constant through management of change procedures, operator training, incident investigation, and machanical integrity programs. As a result, changes relevant to safety occur continuously, as needs are idenitifed through these procedures and policies. Jean Pestorious General Manager |