United States. An amount of $184,717 must be paid by operators of a food distribution facility located in Springfield, Massachusetts, in addition to meeting federal requirements in the use of their ammonia refrigeration system.
An EPA inspection of Performance Food Group's distribution warehouse identified potentially unsafe conditions related to the refrigeration process. This included failing to submit a risk management plan as needed, based on its storage and handling of approximately 10,000 pounds (4,536 kg) of anhydrous ammonia.
The facility has now developed and submitted a risk management plan, and has worked quickly to become compliant, the EPA says.
In the United States, risk management plans are required for all facilities that use certain amounts of extremely hazardous substances, including anhydrous ammonia, to help emergency responders prepare for and respond to chemical emergencies. These regulations also require facilities to prevent chemical emissions by designing and operating their chemical processes in a safe manner.
As part of the settlement agreement, Performance Food Group was required to certify that its nine facilities in the United States follow industry standards for ammonia inventory calculations and that it has submitted risk management plans for those facilities that have more than 10,000 pounds of ammonia in covered processes. In addition, you have to review these facilities to ensure that the minimum security measures have been met.
