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Randy and Jeremy Williams of Garden City Ammonia Program, discuss one way to test the high level float of an ammonia refrigeration system.  GCAP believes this is a critical test and must be performed part of the mechanical integrity portion of PSM/RMP requirements.

GCAP would also like to thank everyone involved in making 2012 GCAP’s best year.  Next year we are celebrating our 10 year Reunion.  We wish you all a Merry Christmas and a successful 2013.

Brought to you by Garden City Ammonia Program

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GCAP Compliance Audits: 2012 Lessons Learned

Garden City Ammonia Program has conducted close to 50 PSM/RMP compliance audits in 2012.   We have learned a mass of information and continue to drive excellence in the ammonia refrigeration field.  According the the EPA’s RMP submissions there are over 14,000 RMP facilities across the US that use one or more of the 140 chemicals that would require a PSM/RMP program.  Over 7,500 of those happen to have ammonia over the 10,000# threshold.

GCAP’s PSM/RMP book is back from the printing press.  It is titled “Implementing Process Safety Management for Ammonia Refrigeration” It can be acquired by taking one of GCAP’s PSM/RMP courses or may be purchased for $895.00  for more information give us a call at 620-271-0037.

The following is the Top 6 Findings  across the Ammonia Refrigeration Industry.

Have your ever asked yourself these questions about your PSM/RMP program.

Who? What? When? Where? Why? And How?

If your not, OSHA and EPA will.

1.  Who are the officials responsible for developing and implementing each of the program elements? Example Management System

2.  What are the requirements and contents of each program element? Example Guidelines

3.  When are the required actions for each element completed and when are they required to be completed?

4.  Where have actions been implemented or changed?

5.  Why have the implementation decisions and priorities been made as recorded in the PSM documentation?

6.  How is the program implemented and how is the program’s effectiveness  evaluated and improved (monitoring performance, follow up and closure of outstanding items, etc.)?

Brought to you by Garden City Ammonia Program

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Jeremy Williams of GCAP interviews Rollie Shook and David Binder.  Rollie is currently Chairman at National TRANSCAER(R) Task Group Global Emergency Services Leader at Dow Chemical and North America Emergency Services & Security Associate Director at Dow Chemical.  David is currently Director, Quality, Safety & Regulatory Affairs at Tanner Industries.  We talk about the TRANSCAER’S Anhydrous Ammonia Training Tour and free videos and powerpoints specifically to ammonia.  TRANSCAER is also putting on free ammonia safety seminars across the United States.

If you have not visited their website and viewed this information GCAP is a proud supporter of their material.  Please click on the their logo below to access their great information.

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Jeremy Williams of GCAP Interviews Bryan Haywood of Safety Engineering Network.  Bryan is founder and President of SAFTENG.net and an Adjunct Instructor at University of Cincinnati.

A safety professional with over 20 years of experience in safety and emergency response. During my career, Bryan developed, implemented, and managed chemical process safety management systems for five Fortune 500 companies, of which four facilities achieved OSHA VPP status. Bryan has held positions ranging from Safety Engineer to Corporate Safety and Health Manager with Westvaco, Great Lakes Chemical, General Electric Plastics, BFGoodrich Specialty Chemicals, and SUMCO Phoenix Corporation. Bryan has extensive experience with Emergency Planning and Response in Fire, HAZMAT, Confined Space, High-Angle Rescue. Bryan maintain all my certifications in these area and have obtained over 6,000 hours of technical training in Industrial Firefighting, Hazardous Materials and Technical Rescue (Confined Space, Trench, High-Angle), and Incident Command from recognized training organizations such as Texas A&M’s National Emergency Response and Rescue Training Center, Louisiana State University Fire and Emergency Training Institute, U.S. Fire Administration’s National Fire Academy, Security and Emergency Response Training Center, and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Nonproliferation Test and Evaluation Complex.

Incidental Release vs
Emergency Response

http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_id=3671&p_table=DIRECTIVES#APPA

APPENDIX A

RELEASES OF HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES THAT REQUIRE AN EMERGENCY RESPONSE

The function of this appendix is to present a discussion of the distinction between incidental releases of hazardous substances and releases that require an emergency response, and, therefore, compliance with the provisions of 1910.120(q)., Emergency response program to hazardous substance releases.

An understanding of the distinction between an incidental release of a hazardous substance and a release that requires an emergency response is fundamental to proper compliance with the provisions of 29 CFR 1910.120(q). Emergency response operations for releases of, or substantial threats of releases of, hazardous substances without regard to the location of the hazard, (29 CFR 1910.120(a)(1)(v)), was written to cover a wide array of facilities and situations.

Potential releases of hazardous substances in the workplace can be categorized into three distinct groups in terms of the planning provisions of 1910.120(q). These groups are:

1. Releases that are clearly incidental regardless of the circumstances.

2. Releases that may be incidental or may require an emergency response depending on the circumstances.

3. Releases that clearly require an emergency response regardless of the circumstances.

Releases that Are Clearly Incidental
The scope of the HAZWOPER standard does not cover the foreseeable release of a hazardous substance that is limited in quantity and poses no emergency or significant threat to the safety and health of employees in the immediate vicinity. This type of release is referred to as an “incidental release” in 29 CFR 1910.120(a)(3), under the definition of “emergency response.”

An incidental release is a release of a hazardous substance which does not pose a significant safety or health hazard to employees in the immediate vicinity or to the employees cleaning it up, nor does it have the potential to become an emergency within a short time frame. Incidental releases are limited in quantity, exposure potential, or toxicity and present minor safety or health hazards to employees in the immediate work area or those assigned to clean them up.

If the hazardous substances that are in the work area are always stored in very small quantities, such as a laboratory which handles amounts in pint size down to test tubes, and the hazardous substances do not pose a significant safety and health threat at that volume, then the risks of having a release that escalates into an emergency are minimal. In this setting incidental releases will generally be the norm and employees will be trained to protect themselves in handling incidental releases as per the training requirements of the Hazard Communication standard (HCS), 29 CFR 1910.1200.

Another example is a tanker truck receiving a load of HAZMAT at a tanker truck loading station. At the time of an accidental spill, the product can be contained by employees in the immediate vicinity and cleaned up utilizing absorbent without posing a threat to the safety and health of employees. As such, the employer may respond to certain incidental releases.

A third example of an incidental release may include maintenance personnel who are repairing a small leak that resulted from a routine maintenance activity and the small leak can be readily repaired; or the leak does not need to be taken care of immediately, i.e., the safety and health of the employees are not threatened if an immediate response is not initiated.

These situations describe an “incidental spill” under HAZWOPER. An incidental spill poses an insignificant threat to health or safety, and may be safely cleaned up by employees who are familiar with the hazards of the chemicals with which they are working.

Releases that May Be Incidental or Require an Emergency Response,
Depending on the Circumstances
The properties of hazardous substances, such as toxicity, volatility, flammability, explosiveness, corrosiveness, etc., as well as the particular circumstances of the release itself, such as quantity, confined space considerations, ventilation, etc., will have an impact on what employees can handle safely and what procedures should be followed. Additionally, there are other factors that may mitigate the hazards associated with a release and its remediation, such as the training or experience of the employees in the immediate work area, the response and PPE at hand, and the pre-established standard operating procedures for responding to releases of hazardous substances. There are also some engineering control measures that will mitigate the release that employees can activate to assist them in controlling and stopping the release.

These considerations (properties of the hazardous substance, the circumstances of the release, and the mitigating factors in the work area) combine to define the distinction between incidental releases and releases that require an emergency response. The distinction is site-specific and its impact is a function of the ERP.

For example, a spill of the solvent toluene in a facility that manufactures toluene may not require an emergency response because of the advanced knowledge of the personnel in the immediate vicinity and equipment available to absorb and clean up the spill. However, the same spill inside a furniture refinishing shop with personnel that have had only the basic hazard communication training on toluene, may require an emergency response by more highly trained personnel. The furniture refinishing shop’s ERP in this case would call for evacuation for all but the most minor spills, while evacuation and emergency response would be necessary only for much larger spills at the chemical manufacturing facility.

Personnel responding to an overturned aircraft leaking jet fuel would likely be performing emergency response due to the significant and uncontrolled hazards posed by the aircraft and jet fuel. These personnel would be conducting operations such as fire fighting, passenger rescue, and working to stop the release of jet fuel. However, a fuel spill from a tanker truck that can be absorbed, neutralized, or otherwise controlled by employees in the immediate release area through the placement of absorbent pads may qualify as an incidental release, provided that there are no significant health or safety hazards. (Note: If the release of jet fuel is covered by 40 CFR 300, the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan (NCP), an employer may be required by the EPA to follow HAZWOPER.)

Releases that Require an Emergency Response
Regardless of the Circumstances
There are releases of hazardous substances that pose a sufficient threat to health and safety that, by their very nature, require an emergency response regardless of the circumstances surrounding the release or the mitigating factors. An employer must determine the potential for an emergency in a reasonably predictable worst-case scenario (or “anticipated emergencies,” 29 CFR 1910.120(q)(1)), and plan response procedures accordingly.

For example, a motor carrier is engaged in the transportation of HAZMAT. At the time of an accidental release, the product cannot be contained by employees in the immediate vicinity and be cleaned up utilizing absorbent. Because of the larger problem, the motor carrier’s employees evacuate the area and call for outside help, as instructed by the employer. In this instance, if a spill of a hazardous substance occurs and an employer instructs all of his/her employees to evacuate the danger area, then the employer may not be required to train those employees under 1910.120. However, the ability to decide whether a spill is an incidental spill or one requiring an emergency response requires training. Also, any employees who are expected to become actively involved in an emergency response due to a release of a hazardous substance are covered by 1910.120 and must be trained accordingly. (Note: OSHA has limited jurisdiction for over-the-road vehicle operation. In the instance of spills occurring while the material is on the vehicle or otherwise “in transportation,” OSHA’s HAZWOPER standard may not cover the operator in all circumstances. If the operator of the vehicle in transportation becomes actively involved in an emergency response, then he/she becomes an emergency responder and is covered by 1910.120(q) as are all emergency response personnel who respond to the incident.)

Generally, the release of anhydrous ammonia, for example, from a refrigeration unit would necessitate an emergency response under HAZWOPER. Employers must determine if there is a potential for release of ammonia in their facility which could result in an emergency situation. Anhydrous ammonia can produce severe health effects, depending upon the degree of exposure.

Another situation that would likely require an emergency response includes fire departments who receive emergency calls reporting a suspected release of a hazardous substance. The fire department should not knowingly dispatch a firefighter trained only under the HCS standard, or even trained to the “Awareness Level” to respond to a hazardous substance emergency response. For example, an emergency call involving the discovery of three 55-gallon drums on the side of a road that may be connected to a nearby methamphetamine laboratory would classify the situation as a potential emergency response requiring appropriately trained personnel.

An emergency response includes, but is not limited to, the following situations:

1. The response comes from outside the immediate release area.

2. The release requires evacuation of employees in the area.

3. The release poses, or has the potential to pose, conditions that are immediately dangerous to life or health (IDLH).

4. The release poses a serious threat of fire or explosion (exceeds or has the potential to exceed the lower explosive limit or lower flammable limit).

5. The release requires immediate attention because of imminent danger.

6. The release may cause high levels of exposure to toxic substances.

7. There is uncertainty about whether the employees in the work area can handle the severity of the hazard with the PPE and equipment that has been provided and the exposure limit could easily be exceeded.

8. The situation is unclear, or data are lacking on important factors.

Responders from Outside the Immediate Release Area
“Emergency response” is defined in 29 CFR 1910.120(a)(3) as follows:
“Emergency response . . . means a response effort by employees from outside the immediate release area or by other designated responders (i.e., mutual-aid groups, local fire departments, etc.) to an occurrence which results, or is likely to result, in an uncontrolled release of a hazardous substance. Responses to incidental releases of hazardous substances where the substance can be absorbed, neutralized, or otherwise controlled at the time of release by employees in the immediate release area, or by maintenance personnel, are not considered to be emergency responses within the scope of this standard. Responses to releases of hazardous substances where there is no potential safety or health hazard (i.e., fire, explosion, or chemical exposure) are not considered to be emergency responses.”

The standard covers responses “by other designated responders.” The use of the word “or” means that responders are a separate group, different from employees outside the immediate release area, directed to respond to the emergency by the employer. Employees working in the immediate release area (not just outsiders) are covered if the employer designates them as emergency responders. The standard, 29 CFR 1910.120(q), uses the term “responders” generally to refer to employees who respond to emergencies.

SARA, the statute mandating HAZWOPER, directs broad coverage of all employees responding to emergencies with no limitation to their location. SARA states, “. . . standards shall set forth responding requirements for training of workers who are responsible for responding to hazardous emergency situations who may be exposed to toxic substances” (see SARA 126(d)(4)). For an emergency to be covered by the standard, conditions causing a dangerous situation which involve hazardous substances are sufficient; there need not be both an emergency and a response by outside responders before the employer prepares for an emergency.

For example, a release of chlorine gas above the IDLH level, obscuring visibility and moving through a facility, is an emergency situation even if the initial responders are from the immediate release area. Employees who would respond to this situation, whether they work in the immediate area or come from outside, would need to act in accordance with 29 CFR 1910.120(q).

Employees are not barred from responding to releases in the immediate release area that would otherwise require outside assistance from a trained HAZMAT team merely because the definition of an emergency response states that an emergency response is “. . . a response effort by employees from outside the immediate release area.”

Conversely, incidental releases of hazardous substances that are routinely cleaned up by those from outside the immediate release area need not be considered emergency responses solely because the employees responsible for clean up come from outside the immediate release area.

For example, Paint thinner is spilled in an art studio and the janitor is called from outside the immediate release area to mop it up. The janitor does not have to respond in accordance with 29 CFR 1910.120, although the janitor would be expected to understand the hazards associated with paint thinner through hazard communication training.

Other OSHA Standards
Other standards that impact emergency response to fires, chemical releases, or other incidents should be part of an emergency response compliance evaluation. Flammable chemical spills and other small fires are covered by 29 CFR 1910.156 as well as 29 CFR 1910.157. The “Process Safety Management for Highly Hazardous Chemicals,” standard, 29 CFR 1910.119, and the “Hazard Communication,” standard, 29 CFR 1910.1200, as well as some of the specific expanded health standards in Subpart Z would also apply (see Section XII.A. of this instruction).

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Garden City Ammonia Program

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Jeremy Williams of GCAP interviews Gary Smith of ASTI (Ammonia Safety and Training Institute) about the importance of ammonia safety days and scheduled events for 2012.
ASTI has also created many different levels of sponsorship for the national and local level to support this great cause.  ASTI SPONSORSHIP LEVELS

GCAP will host their 4th Annual Ammonia Safety Day May 11, 2012 at Kansas City, Kansas.  Must pre-register to guarantee a seat and they are filling fast.

GCAP’s Ammonia Safety Day

May 11, 2012 in Kansas City, KS

Agenda Below: REGISTER BY CLICKING HERE

Other Safety Days across the United States for 2012 are:

April 11 @ Greensboro, NC

April 13 @ Elkton, VA

April 19 @ Ocala, FL

April 27 @ Atlanta, GA

May 11 @ Kansas City, KS

May 21 @ Springdale, AR

July 12 @ Louisville, KY

October 4 or 10 @ Lancaster, PA

TBD Buffalo, NY
TBD Baltimore, MD
TBD Las Vegas, NV
TBD Denver, CO
TBD Norfolk, VA
TBD Oakland, CA
TBD Houston, Dallas, and Fortworth, TX
TBD South Carolina

ASTI SPONSORSHIP LEVELS

Controlled Liquid Ammonia Release: 1″ Line @ 100 PSIG