Text For Citation: 01 Item/Group: 003 Hazard: CHEMICAL

Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Actor of 1970 as %% amended in 1990: 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 equipment failures on the ammonia refrigeration system had caused, were causing, or were likely to cause exposures to ammonia requiring doctor's treatment. (a)In the cannery, an ammonia refrigeration elbow failure and a valve failure resulted in over 100 employees receiving emergency room treatment. The employer did not implement an effective program to maintain the mechanical integrity of the ammonia refrigeration equipment. The employer's injury and illness records document ammonia exposures which required doctor's treatment. Among other methods, one feasible and acceptable abatement method to correct this hazard is the implementation of an effective ammonia refrigeration mechanical integrity maintenance program consisting of the following elements: 1. Establishing and implementing written procedures to maintain the integrity of the ammonia refrigeration equipment. 2. Training maintenance employees in an overview of the ammonia refrigeration system, its hazards, and applicable maintenance procedures to assure maintenance employees can perform their jobs in a safe manner. 3. Inspecting and testing the ammonia refrigeration equipment. The inspections and tests shall follow good and recognized engineering practices. The frequency of the inspections and tests shall be consistent with applicable manufacturers' recommendations, good engineering practices, and more frequently if determined necessary by prior operating experience. 4. Documenting inspections and tests. The documentation shall identify the date of the inspection or test, the name of the person who performed the inspection or test, the serial number or other identifier of the equipment on which the inspection or test was performed, a description of the inspection or test performed , the results of the inspection or test. 5. Correcting deficient equipment. Deficiencies in equipment that are outside acceptable limits (defined by the manufacturer or good engineering practices) shall be corrected before further use. 6. Ensuring new equipment is suitable. Equipment as it is fabricated shall be suitable for the ammonia refrigeration system. Checks and inspections shall be performed to assure equipment is installed properly and consistent with design specifications and manufacturers' instructions. Maintenance materials, spare parts and equipment shall be suitable for the ammonia refrigeration system. Step 1:Develop a plan to implement a ammonia refrigeration mechanical integrity maintenance program as delineated in items 1 through 6 above or other equally effective abatement methods. Step 2:Submit to the Area Director/Director of Enforcement and Investigation a written detailed plan of abatement, outlining a schedule for implementation of the maintenance program as detailed above or other equally effective abatement methods. Step 3:Implementation of the maintenance program detailed above or other equally effective abatement methods.