A large food company has signed a settlement agreement with OSHA to protect workers at five (5) of its facilities from the release of anhydrous ammonia (NH3) from refrigeration systems. The agreement protects workers at Idaho, Arkansas, Missouri and Ohio facilities. It requires the company to implement controls to reduce hazards associated with the release of ammonia from low-pressure receivers.
OSHA’s Process Safety Management standard requires employers to document that equipment that was designed to meet codes and standards no longer in general use is still safe to operate under OSHA standards. OSHA originally cited the company for failing to determine whether these older LPRs were being operated safely. Under the agreement, the company will implement administrative and engineering controls at the covered LPRs to control hazards associated with the release of NH3. This includes:
- Building enclosures around equipment that is not already enclosed
- Each enclosure must include normal and emergency ventilation that meets specified requirements, automatic switches for both normal and emergency ventilation and ammonia detection alarms.
- Egress doors for the enclosures will be required to include panic hardware and to swing in the direction of egress.
The agreement is the result of an inspection conducted at the company’s American Falls, Idaho, facility, initiated under OSHA’s PSM Covered Chemical Facilities National Emphasis Program, established to reduce or eliminate the workplace hazards associated with the catastrophic release of highly hazardous chemicals.
CLICK HERE to see the OSHA news release.