New York Ice Cream Plant Faces Fines for Process Safety Management Hazards

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Chautauqua County, N.Y., Ice Cream Plant Faces $90,500 in U.S. Labor Department OSHA Fines for Process Safety Management Hazards

Buffalo, N.Y. -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Fieldbrook Foods Corp. of Dunkirk, N.Y., for 22 alleged serious violations of OSHA health and safety standards. The ice cream manufacturer faces $90,500 in proposed fines for incomplete or inadequate safeguards for its refrigeration system and other hazards at its One Ice Cream Drive plant.

The bulk of the citations cover deficiencies in the plant's Process Safety Management (PSM) program. OSHA's PSM standard mandates a detailed set of requirements and procedures employers must follow to proactively assess and address hazards associated with processes and equipment involving the use of large amounts of a hazardous chemical. In this case, more than 10,000 pounds of anhydrous ammonia used in the plant's refrigeration system.

"Process safety management demands constant, effective attention and commitment because the consequences of a leak or other incident can be severe and catastrophic," said Arthur Dube, OSHA's area director in Buffalo. "Each element of the process must be rigorously, completely and continuously addressed to minimize hazards and maximize a safe and healthful working environment."

Specifically, OSHA found that the plant and its refrigeration process lacked the following: complete process safety information and process hazard analyses; written operating procedures for safely conducting process activities and for maintaining the ongoing mechanical integrity of process equipment; inspections, testing procedures and documentation to ensure that process equipment complied with recognized and generally acceptable good engineering practices; written procedures to manage changes in the process; a system to promptly address and resolve incident report findings; review of incident reports by all involved personnel; appropriate responses to compliance audit findings; refresher training for employees involved in the process; and a means of informing contract workers of process hazards.

For the rest of this OSHA related article please feel free to visit www.osha.gov.