York Product Supply Center - Executive Summary |
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The York Product Supply Center is a food distribution warehouse that contains refrigerated areas for perishable items. The refrigerated areas of the warehouse are cooled by an anhydrous ammonia refrigeration system. Anhydrous ammonia, a substance regulated by EPA, is one of the most economical refrigerants available. However, the properties of ammonia makes it necessary to observe certain safety precautions while operating the refrigeration system to prevent employee exposure, and to reduce the threat of exposure to nearby members of the community. The York Product Supply Center has opted to follow the EPA's Chemical Accident Prevention Rule, Program Level 3, to prevent a release of ammonia from the refrigeration system. The amount of ammonia estimated to be contained inside the refrigeration system is 18,000 pounds. The York Product Supply Center complies with EPA's Accidental Release Prevention Rule, and applicable state codes and regulations to prevent a catastrophic release o f ammonia. The ammonia refrigeration system has been constructed according to the International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration guidelines (IIAR). The operators of the systems are required to complete a training and certification program to operate the ammonia refrigeration systems. The Accidental Release Prevention Rule does not guarantee against an accidental release. An offsite consequence analysis was completed using a computer model to simulate a release of the ammonia from the refrigeration system. The worst case scenario considered the loss of the total charge of 18,000 pounds of anhydrous ammonia in the refrigeration system over a 10-minute period. The analysis showed that the ammonia vapor could travel approximately 4,048 yards, or 12,144 feet. There are public receptors such as residences, schools, recreation areas, hospital/nursing homes, industrial/commercial facilities that could be potentially affected by an accidental release. The alternative release scenario, which is the most likely scenario, considered a release of ammonia from a broken line inside the building. A release of 2,000 pounds of ammonia over a 10-minute period was considered. The computer model showed that the ammonia vapor could travel approximately 366 yards, or 1,098 feet. Public receptors included in the identified radius include commercial/industrial areas. No administrative controls or mitigation measures were used to limit the chemical release distances for either scenario. The York Product Supply Center has an established Emergency Response Plan to respond to emergencies. The plan was developed in accordance with 29 CFR 1910.120 Emergency Response Plan. The plan requires Fleming associates to exit the facility during a fire or ammonia release to a safe area. The emergency agencies will be notified of the emergency. The emergency agencies will notify any potentially affected neighbors. Fleming maintenance associates will be available as a resource during an a mmonia release emergency. The plan also addresses natural hazard emergencies, fires, bomb threats, civil disturbances, and utility outages. This location experienced an ammonia release on December 8, 1997 at approximately 4:00 p.m. A forklift truck impacted the pipe and released approximately 600 pounds of liquid ammonia. The public emergency agencies were notified immediately. No injuries or deaths resulted from the incident. The total property damage, business interruption, and product was $468,000. The York Product Supply Center wanted to evaluate the potential failures of the refrigeration system, and if the safeguards were sufficient to prevent a catastrophic release of ammonia. A Process Hazard Analysis was completed on the refrigeration system on May 4-6, 1999. Planned changes to improve safety resulting from this analysis are documented in the Process Hazard Analysis report in the Accidental Chemical Release Prevention Rule. Also, the guidelines from the International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration (IIAR) will be followed where applicable, to manage the refrigeration system. |