Chemical Exposure Safety
Exposure to hazardous
chemicals may occur during bottling operations and the treatment of
water to remove impurities ("water treatment"). Hazardous chemicals
involved in these processes include anhydrous ammonia and chlorine.
Anhydrous Ammonia Safety
Anhydrous ammonia
is widely used as a cooling agent in the soft drink carbonation process. Anhydrous ammonia spills and
releases pose a significant threat to workers, who may be injured by skin
contact, inhalation, and fire and explosions caused by insufficient safety
precautions.
Anhydrous
Ammonia Transfer Hazard Prevention
Typically, anhydrous
ammonia is transferred from a tank or truck to a fixed storage installation
that is part of a processing plant. This process involves the use of transfer
hoses. Lack of proper safety mechanisms
during the transfer can cause release or spill of this substance. The federal
Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA)'s Process Safety Management Standard requires that transfer systems of anhydrous
ammonia include certain types of protective devices. The standard that requires the following safety measures be implemented (among other
things):
- Loading and unloading systems must be protected by
suitable devices to prevent emptying of storage containers in the event of
severance of the hose. Backflow check valves or properly sized excess flow
valves must be installed where necessary to provide this protection.
- Employers must identify the recognized and generally accepted good engineering
practices for transfer systems, and then
ensure their transfer system equipment is compliant.
To learn more about
process safety management, click
here.
Anhydrous Ammonia Exposure Prevention