In response to the tragic 2017 incident in which several people were killed by exposure to ammonia at an ice arena in Fernie, British Columbia, ABSA is now extending the scope of the plant registry to include ammonia refrigeration plants and they just published new guidance and establishes requirements for the ammonia-bearing refrigeration systems operating in Alberta. This new guidance was issued as a supplement to AB-512 in order to provide guidance that is MORE SPECIFIC to these ammonia-bearing refrigeration systems. The document establishes and discusses requirements for the:
- design and design registration,
- construction,
- installation,
- operation,
- maintenance,
- repairs and alterations,
- integrity assessments, and
- decommissioning
It also provides an overview of the annual self-audit reviews that owners of these facilities are REQUIRED to perform, outlines requirements for reporting unsafe conditions, accidents, and fires, and discusses the types of records that owners are required to keep.
It is NOT intended for large scale industrial facilities related to the oil & gas or petrochemical industries and does not replace any existing registered owner-user pressure equipment integrity management system or supersede any requirements established by AB-512.
Here is a breakdown of each element and its requirements and frequencies: