Industrial Safetey, Accidents and Mishaps

Issaquah, WA December 6, 2011

2012-03-20T17:34:00.000-07:00

"The engineering manager responsible for a fish-killing ammonia spill from the downtown Darigold dairy has been sentenced to probation and community service for the October 2009 incident." - IssaquahPress.com

On Dec. 1st of last year a U.S. District Court Judge sentenced Gerald N. Marsland, the man responsible for the spill, to 2 years probation, 70 hours of community service and a $2,000 fine. The company itself was also fined $10,000 and charged $60,000 to "protect and restore natural resources in the Issaquah Creek watershed".

While conducting repairs to the creek-side refrigeration plant, Marsland's crew allowed approximately 50-70 gallons of liquid ammonia to run off the roof of the plant into a storm drain that led down to the Issaquah Creek violating the Clean Water Act. 40-50 dead fish and the strong odor of ammonia were discovered downstream from the plant by a state Department of Fish and Wildlife survey team. A group of salmon protected under the Endangered Species Act were discovered among the dead fish.

Minot, ND January 18, 2012

2012-02-16T09:15:00.000-08:00

It's been 10 years since the 31-car train derailment of Minot, North Dakota. When the train derailed roughly 146,700 gallons of anhydrous ammonia were released in huge cloud that coated the valley near Minot. Hundreds of citizens in the area suffered from exposure to anhydrous ammonia and one, John Grabinger, died from it. There is a silver lining to this disaster, the derailment was a leading factor in the creation of new, better safety procedures, and the National Rail Safety Action Plan that was finished in '08.

Yuma, AZ December 2nd, 2011

2011-12-10T20:35:00.000-08:00

At about 3:50pm Yuma Fire Department responded to an ammonia related explosion at Yuma Express Cooling. 13 were injured in the blast, the most severely of which was rushed to the Yuma Regional Medical Center(YRMC) immediately by a Yuma Fire rescue truck. After being evaluated and readied for transport by EMT's the other 12 employees involved were moved to the YRMC with blast and ammonia contamination injuries. Several Fire and EMT personnel had to be decontaminated and treated for ammonia exposure, after coming in contact with some of the contaminated patients.

Yuma Fire Department HazMat worked with Yuma Express Cooling employees to contain the subsequent ammonia leak, while emergency medical operations were going on. The teams took additional measures to ensure that the system was safe and secure for those still present at the facility.

12 of the 13 injured in the blast have been released from the hospital in good health. However, Jose Mata, a Western Precooling employee is still in intensive care at the burn unit in Phoenix, AZ.

The initial cause of the release is reported to be the explosion of the condensing unit. This was either caused by a failed connection or liquid trapped in the system due to the overcharging of the ammonia. These reports are speculative and not verified at this time. You may see photos of damaged unit and letter with information for those interested in coming to the assistance of the family of Jose Mata. On any of our affiliated websites www.artammonia.org, www.svasd.com, www.cvcsd.org, or www.nh3psig.com.

Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India Nov. 14th, 2011

2011-11-21T00:41:00.000-08:00

Five killed and five more seriously injured in an ammonia cylinder explosion. As many as 20 others were also hospitalized. The surrounding area was evacuated to protect the public from the harmful gasses. Reports indicate that the tank exploded due to overfilling.

Westmoreland, PA August 26th, 2011

2011-09-02T16:37:00.000-07:00

An ammonia leak sent three employees from General Product & Supply to the hospital around 4pm in Westmoreland, PA. Several people working in the building had to be treated on site but those sent to the hospital are expected to make a full recovery. No other injuries were reported.

Marshville, NC August 16th, 2011

2011-09-01T17:42:00.000-07:00

An ammonia leak was detected after and unexplained explosion at the Pilgrim's Pride poultry processing plant just outside Marshville, NC around 5am the morning of August 16th. Firefighters and Haz-mat crews were dispatched to assist with evacuation and containment of the facility. Approximately 550 employees were working at the plant when the explosion occurred and the leak was discovered. Everyone present at the facility were evacuated safely, no injuries were reported. The ammonia system was isolated and shut down and contained along with the leak by around noon the same day. Officials kept an eye on the ammonia levels around the plant and in the surrounding area because of concerns for the people living near the plant. After two weeks of clean up the facility was reopened earlier this week and work has resumed as normal. The cause of the explosion and the subsequent leak is yet to be determined, however, there is no cause to suspect Pilgrim's Pride is at fault.

You can view the original article here.

Englewood, CO August 10th, 2011

2011-08-20T10:23:00.000-07:00

Following a scheduled inspection at Meadow Gold Dairies Englewood facility, OSHA cited both Meadow Gold Dairies and Tolin Mechanical (working as a subcontractor for 47 different violations totaling in $326,300 in penalties. The 43 infractions against Meadow Gold Dairies were listed as two alleged willful, one alleged repeat, 35 alleged serious, and five other-than-serious violations.

"Meadow Gold, as part of a large national corporation, is well aware of the requirements of OSHA standards," said John Healy, OSHA area director in Englewood. "The violations which related to improper management of the anhydrous ammonia system demonstrate a lax attitude towards a potentially catastrophic atmospheric release."

http://ohsonline.com/articles/2011/08/10/326300-in-fines-issued-to-colorado-dairy-contractor.aspx?admgarea=news

Meadow Gold Dairies' violations encompassed several fall, electrical and machine guard hazards, as well as a lack of proper personal protective equipment. The more serious violations were failure to implement a mechanical integrity program and a repeat violation for improper equipment de-energizing procedures when doing maintenance. The other violations consisted of failure to properly report injury or sickness to the OSHA 300 log in a timely manner.

Tolin Mechanical was cited with 4 serious violations for personnel not being trained in emergency procedures and lack of proper protective equipment while doing electrical work. The penalties total in $26,000.

Santa Anna, CA August 8th 2011

2011-08-10T23:21:00.000-07:00

Firefighters responding to a small electrical fire called in a hazmat team after noticing that a strong ammonia odor wasn't going away. The constructions workers present at the Yost Theater doing renovations on the building were evacuated without harm. A leak was found in a nearby refrigerator and the building was closed down until the proper repairs could be made.The grand reopening of the 93 year old theater was postponed for 1 day due to the leak, but nothing else was affected.No injuries were reported.

North Platte, NE July 18th, 2011

2011-08-05T17:25:00.000-07:00

On July 18th, at the Logan County Coop just South of Stapleton, NE an anhydrous ammonia storage tank ruptured. The North Platte Hazmat team contained the situation and no injuries were reported. However, the team took 4-5 hours to get there and get to work due to a discrepancy in local legislation. The state of Nebraska has an organization that is supposed to regulate the safe and speedy response to emergencies. This agency (NEMA) dictates which emergency responders to send to what emergencies and how the bills are paid in the aftermath. Unless the organization or other state officials declare it an emergency the responding team has to pick up all of the bills involved in the containment of such leaks. This was the reason for the delay of the North Platte Hazmat team. So, the village of Stapleton and a nearby section of highway were threatened by the deadly spill for upwards of 4 hours while officials ran around playing phone tag trying to figure out who would pay for the clean up involved.

Exeter, CA July 30, 2011

2011-08-04T12:34:00.000-07:00

A small leak in either a valve or an elbow joint forced the evacuation of a boiler room, at Phillips Exeter Academy just before 10pm on July 30th. Fire crews evacuated a handful of people with no injuries reported and the leak was contained.

Castroville, CA July 23, 2011

2011-07-29T11:10:00.000-07:00

A leak of unknown size was reported on July 23rd at a cold storage plant on Del Monte and Blackie road. Firefighters evacuated the building and capped the leak in a refrigerated unit, but the cause of the leak has yet to be reported. A section of Del Monte and a section of Blackie were shut down for safety purposes but no injuries were reported.

Arnold, PA July 23, 2011

2011-07-29T10:30:00.000-07:00

Around 6am on July 23rd 2011, two cooling towers at a Westmoreland meat processing plant lost power and caused the pressure in an ammonia storage tank to rise from 85psi to 125psi and blow a valve. A small amount of ammonia leaked onto the roof of the souse packing foods building at North Side foods. The leak was contained to the roof of the building and none got into the plant itself. No injuries were reported.

Doraville, GA July 25, 2011

2011-07-29T10:19:00.000-07:00

Hazmat enabled firefighters from two counties were called to the scene of an ammonia leak at Nordic Cold Storage at 8:15pm on July 25th 2011. Upon arrival, the facility was already evacuated and the firefighters worked with a crew from the facility to locate and stop the leak. The firefighters had the scene contained and under control by 10pm.