Ammonia Week in Review | August 16, 2013

Some big fines and significant leaks made the headlines this week…

Ammonia Fertilizer Company Agrees to $90,000 Settlement With the USEPA Over RMP Violations – Abilene Products Co., Inc., has agreed to pay a $15,290 civil penalty to settle alleged violations of the Clean Air Act (CAA) at its fertilizer facility in Abilene, Kan. As part of its settlement agreement with EPA Region 7, the company will spend an additional $75,370 to complete a supplemental environmental project […keep reading]

Hawaii Refrigerated Food Warehouse Cited With 63 Health and Safety Violations ($251,330 in Fines) – Federal and state investigators have identified a total of 63 health and safety violations, including willful violations of three standards, at a refrigerated food warehouse in Honolulu occupied by Unicold Corp. and nine tenants. The employers face $251,330 in total proposed fines following joint inspections conducted in February by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration and Hawaii’s Department of Labor and Industrial Relations’ Occupational Safety and Health Division. The inspections were conducted under OSHA’s National Emphasis Program for facilities with highly hazardous chemicals […keep reading]

Ammonia Leak Contained at Performance Pet, Authorities Say – Emergency crews responded to a report of an ammonia leak Friday morning at the Performance Pet Products plant in eastern Mitchell. The leak was small and contained, and never posed a threat to the surrounding area, according to the Mitchell Department of Public Safety […keep reading]

Olymel Pork Plant in Quebec Closed After Ammonia Leak Sent Workers to Hospital – Olymel has temporarily closed a Quebec pork processing plant after an ammonia leak Monday evening that sent nine workers to hospital. The employees have since returned home. Emergency services with specialized equipment worked overnight to stop the leak and remove the gas that forced 350 workers from the plant in Vallee-Jonction, south of Quebec City […keep reading]