EVENTS AND EXHIBITIONS
INCORPORATING COLD CHAIN
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group needed to comment as to how the
emergency could have been prevented.
One group assessed an actual release on
a tuna trawler as the result of the failure
of a corroded shut-off valve, which was
out of sight in the confined space below
deck, that it had not been maintained.
The release was so excessive, the trawler
was turned into the wind to allow the
cloud of ammonia to blow away from the
crew until the plant could be isolated.
Other incidents were studied: a
filling hose from a bulk road tanker
that fractured and the blade of an
evaporator motor that fractured and cut
into the evaporator piping. Attendees
offered preventative steps as better
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maintenance, installation of leak
detectors and regular visual inspections.
The response to each emergency also
indicated poor or total lack of plans to
cope with emergencies, which can occur
at any time. The common thread through
all of the discussions was the lack of
training, preparedness and just the feeling
that ‘this will never happen to us’.
Panic and fear will occur when the
pungent odour of ammonia is detected,
or clouds of ammonia vapour are seen.
This is a scary situation if you are not
trained in how to cope and address
the situation. The longer it takes to get
it under control, the more the incident
will escalate. In an ammonia release,
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1. The Commercial Cold Storage team reviewed an assessment done on an emergency
release (from left): Jaco Ollewagen, Mersulti Mdluli, and Andre Christians.
2. Diagrammatic representation of the expansion of ammonia in the atmosphere from an
emergency release.
3. Emergency capability summarised.
visibility is seriously impaired due to the
white vapour produced when ammonia
flashes off into the atmosphere and
saturates an area.
In the open car park of the Italian
Club, Durham illustrated a white-out drill,
demonstrating how to get to safety with
eyes shut through clouds of ammonia
vapour. It was interesting to see him
illustrating that keeping low to the ground,
with one foot firm on the ground, and
COLD LINK AFRICA • June 2019
the other stretched forward and swaying
to detect any obstruction, was the most
effective way.
PPE
Respiratory protective equipment in
the form of gas masks and breathing
apparatus are legal requirements of
each plant. A mask should also be
at hand or being worn when doing
repairs or routine maintenance such as
www.coldlinkafrica.co.za
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