Text For Citation: 01 Item/Group: 001 Hazard:

OSH ACT of 1970 Section (5)(a)(1): The employer did not furnish employment and a place of employment which was free from recognized hazards that were causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm to employees in that employees were exposed to anhydrous ammonia inhalation and burn hazards: a. On or about March 3, 2015, at the work site, the ammonia refrigeration engine room was not designed or configured in accordance with mandatory safety features specified in the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air Conditioning Engineers Standard, ASHRAE-15 Safety Code for Mechanical Refrigeration and the American National Standards Institute/International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration, ANSI/IIAR-2-1992 Equipment, Design, and Installation of Ammonia Mechanical Refrigerating Systems, Section 4: Machinery Room Design, specifically: 1. The ventilation system for the non-electrically classified ammonia engine room location was not equipped with a supervised alarm system in accordance with ANSI/IIAR-2, section 4.3.5, to indicate failure of the mechanical ventilation system, and/or an increase in ammonia concentration inside the room. 2. The ventilation exhaust fans for the non-electrically classified ammonia engine room location actuated for comfort air and cooling purposes only with no documentation supporting that sufficient mechanical ventilation was being provided to exhaust potential accumulations of ammonia inside the room in accordance with ANSI/IIAR-2, section 4.3.1. 3. No emergency remote control for the mechanical means of ventilation was available outside the Engine Room as required by ANSI/IIAR-2 section 4.3.6. 4. An emergency shutoff switch to stop the compressors was not located immediately outside the ammonia engine room as required by ANSI/IIAR-2 section 4.4.11. 5. The doors of the ammonia engine room were not tight fitting and provided with panic type hardware as required by ANSI/IIAR-2 section 4.4.8. 6. There were no eyewash or deluge showers outside the ammonia engine room exit doors as required by ANSI/IIAR-2 section 4.4.7. 7. Piping on the wall behind reciprocating compressors was not properly supported to the wall to minimize chafing and vibration problems. Among other methods, one feasible and acceptable abatement method to correct this hazardous condition would be to have the Engine Room configured to meet the requirements of ANSI/IIAR 2-1992: American National Standard for Equipment, Design, and Installation of Closed-Circuit Ammonia Mechanical Refrigerating Systems, Section 4: Machinery Room Design.