Text For Citation: 01 Item/Group: 002 Hazard:

29 CFR 1910.38(b): Means of Egress. Written and oral emergency action plans. An emergency action plan must be in writing, kept in the workplace, and available to employees for review. However, an employer with 10 or fewer employees may communicate the plan orally to employees. An emergency action plan shall include at a minimum: Procedures for reporting a fire or other emergency, Procedures for emergency evacuation, including type of evacuation and exit route assignments, Procedures to be followed by employees who remain to operate critical operations before they evacuate, Procedures to account for all employees after evacuation, Procedures to be followed by employees performing rescue or medical duties, and The name or job title of every employee who may be contacted by employees who need more information about the plan or an explanation of their duties under the plan: On or about October 21, 2016 a Harcros Chemical tank truck driver was transferring sulfuric acid from Harcros tanker #610 into a sodium hypochlorite tank at the MGPI Specialty Starch tank farm. The mixture of the two chemical created a reaction that caused the sodium hypochlorite tank to release a vapor cloud at the MGPI Specialty Starch building and part of the city of Atchison, Kansas. The highly hazardous toxic chemical release entered the Specialty Starch control room through the companys pressurized air system. Specialty Starch operators could not find their respirators per the companys emergency response plan, to connect to 5 minute escape bottles to evacuate the control room safely. The Specialty Starch operators had to run out of the control room into the toxic chemical vapor release outside the building to find safety, thus exposing employee(s) to health hazards.