Ammonia Refrigeration

Ammonia Refrigeration Menu Workers' Rights

Hazard Recognition

Anhydrous ammonia is widely used as a refrigerant in many industrial facilities, including:

  • Meat, poultry, and fish processing facilities
  • Dairy and ice cream plants
  • Wineries and breweries
  • Fruit juice, vegetable juice, and soft drink processing facilities
  • Cold storage warehouses
  • Other food processing facilities
  • Petrochemical facilities

Ammonia spills and releases pose a significant threat to workers from skin contact, inhalation, and fire and explosion. The key provision of process safety management is process hazard analysis (PHA) - a careful review of what could go wrong and what safeguards must be implemented to prevent releases of hazardous chemicals. The following references help you to begin a PHA by recognizing process hazards.

  • Accident Prevention and Response Manual for Anhydrous Ammonia Refrigeration System Operators. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 7. Publication EPA-907-B-1-9001, 4th Ed, (June 2015). This manual summarizes requirements of environmental and safety laws for anhydrous ammonia refrigeration system operators. A list of the federal laws and regulations related to process safety, accident prevention, emergency planning, and release reporting may be found in Appendix C.
  • Process Safety Management. OSHA Safety and Health Topics Page.
  • Ammonia. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), (May 1994). Provides an Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health Concentrations (IDLHs) document that includes acute toxicity data for ammonia.
  • Toxicological Profile for Ammonia. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), (September 2004). Provides exposure risks, exposure limits, and health effects for ammonia.
  • ToxFAQs™ for Ammonia. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), (September 2004). Answers the most frequently asked health questions about ammonia.
  • Public Health Statement for Ammonia. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), (September 2004). Provides information on exposure risks, exposure limits, and health effects.
  • Ammonia. New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services, Hazardous Substance Fact Sheet, (September 2007). Provides a summary source of information of all potential and most severe health hazards that may result from ammonia exposure.

FM Global Data Sheets

  • 7-13, Hazards: Mechanical Refrigeration, (Revised January 2018). Property Loss Prevention Data Sheet. Provides recommendations for fire and explosion protection and prevention for (and protection against contamination from) industrial-type refrigeration equipment. Includes recommendations related to critical piping and controls.

International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration (IIAR) Books

  • Introduction to Ammonia Refrigeration - North America Version. Replaces IIAR Bulletin R-1. Contains general industry background, a basic overview of the technology, a general safety discussion and overview of regulatory requirements.
  • Ammonia Refrigeration Training Guideline. Intended to make training more comprehensive and consistent to increase safety, better communication and smoother operations.
  • Ammonia Data Book, 2nd Edition. Provides a variety of information on ammonia and includes a data on the various properties of ammonia and information on its use.
  • Ammonia Refrigeration Management (ARM) Program. Help for small facilities to improve safety, enhance system reliability and to assist with regulatory compliance. ARM is intended to assist facilities with a charge of less than 10,000 lbs. of ammonia that are subject to inspection under the General Duty Clause.
  • Ammonia Refrigeration Library. A technical resource for any industrial refrigeration professional. Contains all current IIAR Bulletins and ANSI/IIAR Standards.
  • Ammonia Refrigeration Piping Handbook. Guide to modern ammonia refrigeration piping as well as a comprehensive introduction to piping design and installation as it is practiced in the field.
Case Studies