If you’re at a facility where the PSM-covered process involves ammonia refrigeration, OSHA has a few specific questions that would like to ask! These questions are specific to ammonia refrigeration facilities and will be used to evaluate a facility’s readiness to join the world-class ranks of VPP STAR workplaces. How would you fare with these ammonia refrigeration specific questions, as well as the basic PSM metrics request:
VII Ammonia Refrigeration Sites
Site Name:
Site Location (City and State):
Site NAICS Code:
Site-Based Participant (Y/N):
Resident Contractor (Y/N):
Site-Based Ammonia Refrigeration Participant (Y/N):
- Do your employees perform routine inspecting, testing and, preventive maintenance of your ammonia refrigeration system? (Y/N)
- Do you have a resident contractor perform routine testing and maintenance of your ammonia refrigeration system? (Y/N)
- Do you track the percentage of critical equipment tested vs. the percentage of critical equipment scheduled for testing? (Y/N)
- How many times in 2020 was the function of the normal, and the emergency ventilation systems tested? (#)
- How many times in 2020 were ammonia detectors in refrigerating machinery rooms inspected and tested to ensure functionality per the alarm level specified in PSI? (#)
- Did you experience a release of a reportable quantity of ammonia in 2019/2020? (Y/N)
- Do you track the quantity of ammonia escaping from your system each year? (Y/N)
- Was your ammonia system recharged in 2019/2020? (Y/N)
- What percentage of your ammonia inventory was recharged in 2019/2020? (%)
- The number of thickness measurements collected for the ammonia system pressure vessels and piping equipment in 2019-2020? (#)
- Percentage of the measurements resulting in the need for corrective action? (%)
Those questions are on top of these other process safety questions:
Management of Change
- What percentage of the MOCs conducted during the evaluation year were emergency MOCs? (%)
- What percentage of temporary MOCs put in place in 2020 were extended beyond their original assessed time period for the change (include only those temporary MOCs that were originally scheduled to end by the end of CY 2020)? (%)
Preventive Maintenance (PM)
- Do you collect data on the completion of safety-critical PMs for all of your process equipment? (Y/N)
- What percentage of all your site’s PM was completed for 2020? (%)
Process Hazard Analysis (PHA)
- How many PHA action items were identified as due for completion in 2020? (#)
- What percentage of PHA action items scheduled to be closed at the end of CY 2019 remained open at the end of 2020? (%)
Mechanical Integrity (MI)
- Do you identify all equipment critical to the safety of your process regardless of coverage under 1910.119(j)? (Y/N)
- Do you have a system in place you use to detect deficiencies in single pieces of equipment? (Y/N)
- If the answer to the question above is yes, please describe that system. (Narrative Response)
- How many critical equipment failures experienced in 2020 led to the loss of primary containment? (#)
- Were any of your preventive maintenance systems/processes changed in 2020, based on critical equipment failures? (Y/N)
- How many MI inspections were scheduled for 2020? (#)
- What percentage of the MI inspections from question 5, was delayed in 2020? (%)
Training
- Does your training tracking system identify the numbers of training planned vs. those completed? (Y/N)
- What percentage of employees did not complete all required training in 2020? (For example, training related to PSM, general safety and health and emergency procedures training) (%)