Ammonia Safety & Security
Ammonia serves a multitude of purposes across various industries, including agriculture as a fertilizer, refrigeration for maintaining low temperatures, and in manufacturing for producing plastics, pharmaceuticals, and cleaning products. However, its hazardous nature necessitates stringent process safety measures. These include designing facilities with pressure relief systems and adequate ventilation, maintaining equipment integrity, conducting comprehensive risk assessments to identify hazards, implementing emergency response plans for mitigation, providing thorough training to personnel on ammonia handling procedures, and ensuring regulatory compliance with standards set by OSHA and the EPA. Currently, anhydrous ammonia stands as one of the most rigorously regulated chemicals under the US OSHA Process Safety Management standard regulations (29 CFR Part 1910.119) and the EPA Risk Management Planning regulations (40 CFR Part 68).
AcuTech’s team has undertaken numerous process safety projects, evaluating the hazards and risks associated with facilities handling and producing anhydrous and aqueous ammonia. This has included providing dedicated onsite process safety consultants who serve as embedded PSM Engineers, facility siting, quantitative risk assessments, consequence modeling, providing guidance on CFATS applicability, and conducting waterway sustainability assessments for transport of anhydrous ammonia.
IIAR 9 Minimum System Safety Evaluations
AcuTech is equipped to support food and beverage and any industrial facility in conducting or reviewing IIAR 9 Minimum System Safety Evaluations for existing ammonia refrigeration systems. Our services include thorough assessments of system documentation, inspection/testing/maintenance programs, operating procedures, and physical inspections. We identify gaps, recommend corrective actions, and assist with documentation to facilitate compliance by the January 1, 2026 deadline and for the required five-year revalidation cycle.
Partner with us to meet regulatory expectations and strengthen the safety and reliability of your refrigeration systems.
- Process Safety Management
- Process Hazard Analyses
- Audits
- Consequence Modeling
- Facility Siting
- Quantitative Risk Assessments
- Asset Integrity
- Emergency Management
- CFATS Applicability
- Waterway Suitability Assessments
AcuTech’s consultants are well versed in codes and standards and will refer to these as well as each client’s local jurisdiction codes and standards.
- OSHA Process Safety Management (PSM) Standard (29 CFR 1910.119): This standard outlines requirements for the management of highly hazardous chemicals, including ammonia. It covers various aspects such as process safety information, process hazard analysis, operating procedures, training, contractor safety, and emergency planning and response.
- EPA Risk Management Program (RMP) Rule (40 CFR Part 68): The RMP rule requires facilities that handle certain hazardous substances, including ammonia, above threshold quantities to develop a risk management plan. This plan includes hazard assessment, prevention programs, and emergency response procedures.
- International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration (IIAR) Standards: IIAR produces standards specifically for the safe design, installation, operation, and maintenance of ammonia refrigeration systems. These standards cover areas such as equipment design, safety procedures, and training requirements.
- American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code: ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code provides guidelines for the design, construction, inspection, and testing of pressure vessels and boilers, including those used in ammonia handling processes.
- National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Standards: NFPA publishes standards related to fire protection and safety, including NFPA 54 (National Fuel Gas Code) and NFPA 58 (LP-Gas Code), which may have relevance in certain aspects of ammonia handling.
- Occupational Exposure Limits (OELs): Various organizations, such as OSHA and the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH), establish permissible exposure limits for ammonia to protect worker health.
- Local and International Building Codes and Standards: Depending on the location and jurisdiction of the facility, local building codes and standards may also apply to aspects such as building design, ventilation, and emergency response planning.