OSHA Inspection: ELGIN DAIRY FOODS, INC.

Issued

Aug 11, 1999

Abate by

Dec 12, 1999

Penalty

Initial $1,250 · Current $650 Reduced

General-duty citation text

Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970: The
employer did not
furnish employment and a place of employment which were free from
recognized hazards
that were causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm to
employees, in that:
a.  On or about July 2, 1999, Elgin Dairy Foods had not implemented, at
its plant on
Harrison St., Chicago, containing refrigeration facilities, the safeguards
and safety standards
prescribed by the ANSI/ASHRAE Safety Code for Mechanical Refrigeration
15-1994.
Thereby, the employees of Elgin Dairy Foods were exposed to releases of
ammonia that
might occur as a result of, but not limited to, the following:
1. In engine room #1 the south and north doors communicating with the
building were not
tight-fitting and piping piercing the interior walls and ceiling in engine
rooms #1 and #2 was
not tightly sealed to the walls and ceiling through which it passes. The
south door in engine
room #1 and the west door in engine room #2 both opened inward instead of
outward.
2. Engine rooms #1 and #2 did not contain detectors to actuate an alarm in
case of ammonia
leaks.
3. Remote controls of the mechanical equipment in both engine rooms were
not provided
immediately outside the engine room doors. A control switch for the
ventilation fan in engine
room #1 was not located immediately outside that engine room door.
4.The vent line opening to atmosphere from the #2 receiver relief valve
was not at least 20
feet distant from a ventilation opening to the building. The vent line
opening from the
common header relief piping was not at least 20 feet distant from a
ventilation opening to the
building.
5.Emergency shutdown procedures, including precautions to be observed in
case of
breakdown or leak, were not displayed on a conspicuous card posted outside
each engine
room, immediately adjacent to each door.
6.A schematic drawing or panel giving directions for the operation of the
refrigeration
system at a location convenient to the operators of the system was not
provided.
7. Controls and piping involved with the refrigeration process were not
provided with
durable signs not less than 0.5 inches in height designating: valves or
switches for controlling
the refrigerant flow, the ventilation, and the refrigeration compressors,
and the kind of
refrigerant contained in exposed piping outside the engine room doors.
8.The size of the common relief header vent line was less than the sum of
the outlet areas of
the relief devices connected to it that would be expected to operate
simultaneously (as in the
case of a fire).
9. The maximum permissible lengths of discharge piping installed on the
outlet of each
pressure relief device were not determined according to formulas
prescribed by ASHRAE.
Feasible methods of abatement for each of the above include, but are not
limited to,
adherence to the safe design, construction, installation, and operation of
ammonia
refrigeration systems as prescribed by the ANSI/ASHRAE 15-1994 Standard
(Safety Code
for Mechanical Refrigeration).