Caption: Tank Farm 5 atmospheric relief discharge piping, before (left, circled) and after (right, and inset) the incident. Photo: Chemical Safety Board
Washington — Workers at chemical facilities should never approach an ammonia cloud without proper personal protective equipment, the Chemical Safety Board warns in a new final report.
CSB offers insights in its report on a July 2024 incident at the Cuisine Solutions Inc. food processing facility in Sterling, VA. Around 170 pounds of anhydrous ammonia was released after an emergency pressure relief valve discharged.
During the evacuation, some workers unwittingly exited the facility near a visible, white ammonia cloud and had trouble breathing – one symptom of exposure to the substance. Among the 33 workers transported to nearby hospitals, four were admitted for serious injuries, with one requiring intensive care.
To prevent future incidents, CSB recommends facility managers ensure effective emergency response and evacuation protocols are in place.
Other lessons:
- Measure and store process data so facilities can analyze the data, determine the causes and make necessary changes. “Investigating an incident without sufficient process data hampers investigation and makes a repeat incident more likely to occur,” CSB says.
- Study ammonia refrigeration relief components to ensure emergency pressure relief valves safely discharge into the atmosphere.
- Document within an emergency action plan the use of distinctive alarms or alarms specific to release scenarios, as well as what the response requires.
- Train multiple workers in the proper use of emergency shutdown devices and ensure workers understand their duties during emergencies.
“Toxic ammonia vapors can cause serious injuries and put lives at risk,” CSB Chair Steve Owens said in a press release. “Companies must ensure that toxic ammonia releases are discharged safely and that they have proper procedures in place to respond appropriately when a release occurs.”
McCraren Compliance offers many opportunities in safety training to help circumvent accidents. Please take a moment to visit our calendar of classes to see what we can do to help your safety measures from training to consulting.
Original article published by Safety+Health an NSC publication