Process safety management fines are commonly tied to chemical manufacturers or refineries. But this case shows any company with refrigeration units can be hit with process safety penalties.

OSHA has cited Stavis Seafoods with 15 serious violations at its Boston facility. The company faces $47,250 in fines.

PSM requires employers to proactively assess and address hazards associated with processes and equipment that use large amounts of hazardous chemicals. In this case, the chemical is anhydrous ammonia used in the facility’s refrigeration system.

Among the violations:

• initial evaluation of hazards associated with the refrigeration system hadn’t been conducted
• lack of written procedures covering process changes or to maintain ongoing mechanical integrity of equipment
• process safety information hadn’t been updated to reflect changes
• PSM program wasn’t audited every three years, and
• employee maintaining refrigeration system hadn’t received annual emergency response training and respirator fit testing.

The company has 15 business days to decide whether to contest any of the citations.

Tags: anhydrous ammonia, process safety management, refrigeration