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Ammonia Refrigeration |
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Anhydrous ammonia is widely used as a refrigerant in many industrial
facilities, including:
- Meat, poultry, and fish processing facilities
- Dairy and ice cream plants
- Wineries and breweries
- Fruit juice, vegetable juice, and soft drink processing facilities
- Cold storage warehouses
- Other food processing facilities
- Petrochemical facilities
Hazard Recognition
Ammonia
spills and releases pose a significant threat to workers from skin contact,
inhalation, and fire and explosion. The key provision of process safety
management is process hazard analysis (PHA) - a careful review of what could go
wrong and what safeguards must be implemented to prevent releases of hazardous
chemicals. The following references help you to begin a PHA by recognizing
process hazards.
- Process Safety
Management (PSM). OSHA Safety and Health Topics Page.
- OSHA's thinking on addressing reactive chemical process safety.
OSHA Speech, (2003, September 23). Addresses the Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS)
regarding OSHA's position on
reactive chemical process safety, including ammonia refrigeration.
- Pocket
Guide to Chemical Hazards. National Institute for
Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Publication No. 2005-149, (2005,
September).
- Ammonia.
Provides a source of general
industrial hygiene information on ammonia for workers, employers, and
occupational health professionals.
- Documentation
for Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health Concentrations (IDLH).
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), National Technical Information Service (NTIS) Publication No.
PB-94-195047, (1994, May). Documents the criteria and information sources that have been used by
NIOSH to determine IDLHs. In this document, IDLHs are listed with the basis and references for the current values as well as with the original IDLHs and their documentation (as paraphrased from the
Standards Completion Program (SCP) draft technical standards).
- Ammonia. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
(ATSDR) Public Health Statement, (2004, September). Also available as a 69 KB PDF,
7 pages. Provides information on exposure risks,
exposure limits, and health effects.
- Ammonia. New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services (NJDHSS)
Right to Know Hazardous Substance Fact Sheet, (1998,
June), 36 KB PDF, 5 pages. Contains acute and chronic health hazards, identification, workplace exposure limits, medical
tests, workplace controls and practices, personal protective equipment, handling and storage, questions and
answers, definitions, and emergency response information for fires, spills and first aid.
Worker Protection
Accidental releases of ammonia from refrigeration facilities have resulted in both injuries and deaths to
employees of these facilities. These injuries and deaths are caused from contact with both liquid and vapor forms of ammonia. Because
refrigeration systems operate at elevated pressures, additional care must be taken to maintain and operate these
systems so as to prevent releases with potentially catastrophic consequences. OSHA has developed this page to
assist employers in identifying and controlling the hazards associated with the operation and maintenance of
ammonia refrigeration systems.
- Armour Swift-Eckrich Presentation on Process Safety Management and their OSHA Settlement Agreement.
OSHA and Armour Swift-Eckrich, (1997, December 3). Includes a package of materials related to the OSHA inspection of Armour
Swift-Eckrich facilities. The materials focus on the process safety
management aspects of the ammonia refrigeration system. Materials include a
PowerPoint presentation of the inspection process and outcome, a copy of the informal settlement agreement, the
document request list from OSHA, news releases, etc.
- Chemical Exposures from Industrial Valve and Piping Systems. OSHA Hazard Information Bulletin
(HIB), (1996, May 14).
Includes a description of two incidents involving ammonia refrigeration systems in which workers were
killed and describes methods to reduce the risk of similar incidents.
- Accidental
Release of Anhydrous Ammonia at Storage/Dispensing Facilities and Elevators. OSHA Hazard Information
Bulletin (HIB), (1994, February 28). Discusses the potential failure of vent pipes in ammonia refrigeration
systems. Describes the design error and provides corrective actions.
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Recommendations for
Chemical Protective Clothing. National Institute for Occupational
Safety and Health (NIOSH), (2001, August 9).
Provides recommendations for chemical protective clothing (CPC) as a companion to the NIOSH Pocket Guide to
Chemical Hazards.
- For additional information on general safety and health concerns, see OSHA's Safety and Health Topics
Pages on:
Case Studies
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Report of Examination of Samples. OSHA, (1998, November 9). Provides a report describing galvanic corrosion
found in an ammonia refrigeration pipe used near brine tanks. The pipe catastrophically failed, causing a
release of ammonia and a subsequent explosion. The report illustrates the potential of corrosion of
refrigeration piping used in similar service conditions.
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