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Five Emergency Planning Lessons from Recent Ammonia Refrigeration Facility Fires A fire in an ammonia refrigeration facility creates challenges that extend well beyond extinguishment. Fires can damage structures, interrupt utilities, block access to controls, and compromise refrigeration equipment. These scenarios should be evaluated during applicable Process Hazard Analyses (PHAs) and addressed through preparedness efforts before an incident occurs. Recent incidents in Orego

This blog is for those in our industry who are waiting for an opportunity: the ones who want to be more than a rounds person, an ammonia refrigeration operator, or a PSM coordinator in a plant. The ones who want to grow, take on more responsibility, and make a name for themselves. Who gets an opportunity, and who doesn’t? What does opportunity look like? When do you have one? Where do you find it? And most importantly, how do you put it all together? Keep reading, and I’ll sh

Walking In I wasn't the auditor. I was the new guy, there to shadow, watch, and learn how a compliance audit actually works. The first thing we opened was the stack of policy documents. From where I stood, they looked complete. Every section had a heading. Every heading had content. Binders were labeled, files were named, nothing jumped out as missing. I remember thinking: this facility has its act together. This should be quick. Then We Started Digging I learned firsthand t

I’ve been to my share of national RETA conferences. I can’t recommend it enough! I love our industrial refrigeration community, and this national conference is the best way to dive in. There is so much to do at these conferences; I thought I would share my tips on how to get the most value out of your attendance at the upcoming conference! When you register and get your goody bag, get a shirt one size bigger than your normal size. I notice the material tends to shrink a bit i

A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to attend my first ammonia industry conference at the Southeast Regional Ammonia Safety Day. It was a great experience that gave me the chance to continue to learn more about ammonia safety, hear from experienced industry professionals, and connect with people from across the industry. The event included training focused on ammonia hazards, emergency response, regulatory considerations, and preparedness. Being able to hear these to

Standing behind a table at the University of Alabama in Huntsville career fair, you get a pretty good read on where an industry is headed. The students who stopped by our booth had résumés in hand, questions ready, and a level of energy that is hard to fake. They wanted to know what process safety management actually looks like day-to-day. They asked about field work versus desk work. A few of them already knew what a PHA was and wanted to know whether they'd get to sit in on

Almost every PSM coordinator builds one eventually. A spreadsheet with the OSHA requirement in the left column, the EPA version next to it, and the IIAR standard that covers the same ground in the third. Green fill wherever the rows line up. It feels like progress, and for about a week it is. Then somebody asks whether the crosswalk means you’re covered, and the honest answer is no. I like crosswalks. They’re the fastest way to see which rulebooks are pointed at your ammonia

Process Safety Information (PSI) is the technical foundation of a Process Safety Management (PSM) program. Your PHAs, operating procedures, mechanical integrity program, and many other PSM activities depend on this information being accurate. Under OSHA 29 CFR 1910.119(d), PSI is divided into three main categories. But what actually belongs in each one? 1. Hazards of the Chemical For an ammonia refrigeration system, this section documents the hazards and properties of anhydro

Direction of flow is one of the factors that go into a valve’s design. Valves have a direction-of-flow arrow either as part of the valve’s forging or markings. We use these arrows to ensure the valve is installed properly. But does that mean that the valve will only operate properly if installed with the arrow matching the flow of the pipe contents? Can valves be installed backwards? Valves will work when installed in either direction. They are normally installed with th

Every pressurized ammonia vessel is designed to hold a specific range of pressure and temperature. When something pushes past that range a fire, a control failure, a blocked outlet, a runaway refrigeration cycle the vessel needs a way to protect itself before it protects nothing at all. That’s the job of the pressure relief valve (PRV). Why PRVs Matter So Much in Ammonia Service Anhydrous ammonia is stored and processed under pressure in refrigeration systems, storage tanks

I was recently on LinkedIn and came across a survey that a training leader in the ammonia industry posted. It was a survey that asked what you feel is the most important area when it comes to Process Safety Management in your industry. Four options covered detailed parts of the program that ranged from culture to the procedures for conducting management of change and how you keep your PSI library up to date. I paused for a minute before taking the survey because the one answe

The Reality of the Grind Since childhood, I’ve had to work. My dad would take me to jobs where I had no choice but to be used as an extra hand. Fast forward to adulthood: if I want to provide for my family, I need to work. But let’s be honest about the modern workplace. Most people are thinking about the same things: Is it time to go home? Is it Friday yet? Not many people want to be away from home punching a clock, driving from location to location, or staring at a computer

If you've spent any time in the industrial refrigeration industry, you've probably seen training certificates from contractors, manufacturers, and independent training organizations. They're valuable; they demonstrate you've completed a course, and they often provide excellent education. But it's important to understand one thing: A course completion certificate is not the same as a RETA certification. Training Certificates Have Value Organizations like GCAP, IRTC, and NWTI h

There's a quiet crisis happening behind the scenes of every cold storage warehouse, food processing plant, and ice arena in America, and most people have no idea it exists. The ammonia refrigeration industry is facing a significant workforce shortage, and the clock is ticking. The average age of a certified ammonia refrigeration technician in the United States is creeping toward 55. Retirements are outpacing new entries into the field. And the systems these professionals main

If your facility has a covered process under OSHA’s Process Safety Management standard (29 CFR 1910.119), you already know the checklist: Process Hazard Analysis, Mechanical Integrity programs, Management of Change, Operating Procedures, Incident Investigation. The elements are well documented and widely understood. But here’s the question that separates facilities with strong safety cultures from those one incident away from disaster: Is PSM something your team does, or some

I spent 90 minutes at a RETA meeting last week that was almost entirely dedicated to one thing: spray nozzles on evaporative condensers. Cleaning them. Inspecting them. Understanding what happens when you don't. It sounds like a narrow topic. But the longer the conversation went, the more it opened up performance degradation, energy costs, refrigerant pressure creep, and underneath all of it, safety. One small neglected component, compounding quietly over time. That's what a

When you're managing ammonia refrigeration systems, you face a constant challenge: maintaining rigorous safety standards while keeping operations running smoothly and cost-effectively. It's a balancing act that can make or break your facility's performance and your peace of mind. After some time of overseeing ammonia refrigeration inspection projects, I've learned that safety and efficiency aren't opposing forces. When approached strategically, they actually reinforce each ot

Why PSM programs have to manage real operational risk, not just legal exposure. Documentation, procedures, training records, inspection logs, audit findings, and corrective action records all have a place in a well-run PSM program. When something goes wrong, those records can become important very quickly. But legal defensibility is not the same thing as operational safety. Consider a common example in ammonia refrigeration: an SOP that technically exists, has been reviewed,

A practical framework for deciding what to build yourself and what to just go buy, and why that spreadsheet you put together isn't nearly as free as it looks. Most facilities don't decide to build their own PSM software. They drift into it. It usually starts with one person. A coordinator who's good with spreadsheets builds a tracker to keep tabs on action items. It works. So it grows. Now it's tracking PHA recommendations, MOCs, inspection due dates, and training records, al

The process safety world is abuzz with the potential incident in Orange County. If you haven’t been staying up-to-date, here is a brief overview: An ongoing hazardous materials incident at a GKN Aerospace facility in Garden Grove, California, began after a 34,000-gallon storage tank containing roughly 6,000–7,000 gallons of methyl methacrylate (MMA) overheated and began venting vapor, raising fears of a catastrophic explosion or toxic chemical release. The incident prompted e