Awareness Training Goals - Salinas Valley Ammonia Safety Day

Ammonia Safety Day
you did not have a radio? What are four things you can do to protect yourself during an ammonia
release that is threatening your shelter in place location?
Move out and around the release, lateral and upwind; three choices; close the door to contain the release;
three leaders in the order of contact would be Evacuation Coordinator, Facility Emergency Coordinator, or
Incident Commander; use the radio or telephone, contact 9-1-1 center to get word to the Incident
Commander; water will help you, a wet cloth or a shower of water will attract the ammonia vapor (not
good for putting on liquid or aerosol) to slow it’s attack on humans; 1) keep moving lateral 2) move to
shelter in place 3) put wet cloth over your face and keep going 4) radio or call for help
19. How does your body react when it takes in a lot of ammonia vapor? At what point does the level of
ammonia cause your breathing to stop? Why does this occur? Identify four steps to helping a person
who has just met you after escaping through an aerosol ammonia release? What would you do if the
person swallowed some ammonia liquid?
You feel ammonia in the nose, throat, and as it gets worse, in your chest; when you escape to the outside
breathe deeply; if your lungs or chest hurt you should seek advanced medical care and a doctor’s care; at
1,500 PPM we begin coughing uncontrollably and at 1,700 PPM our breathing stops (as if we have
something caught in the throat; four steps 1) call 9-1-1; 2) remove clothing unless frozen and then wash
with water; 3) 15 to 30 minutes of washing with water – no rubbing; 4) medical surveillance for those who
are experiencing problems with their breathing; drink water, milk, orange juice if the person is conscious,
don’t allow vomiting, seek advanced medical care.
The SIMPLE Plan
20. How much more at risk is the person who is within 10 to 15 feet of an initial release of ammonia from
experiencing serious injury or death than for the emergency responder or the downwind population?
What is LANCE’s recommendation about avoiding the threats of an ammonia release? What’s
LANCE’s recommendation about ammonia and its mixture with chlorine? What’s the threat of
ammonia soaking into the ground? What does the term S.I.M.P.L.E. mean?
A person is at least 5 times more at risk to serious injury or death when within 10 to 15 feet of the release;
follow repair, maintenance, service, and leak SOP when working on the system; LANCE recommends
that operators wear PPE, always know where the exits are; and contain the release upon escape; LANCE
warns that Chlorine and Ammonia mixture is very toxic and potentially explosive; too much ammonia on
the ground can migrate to drinking water and cause problems for infants, infirm and older humans; the
SIMPLE logic is defined below
S = Sources of Ignition controlled
I = Isolate the release upstream and downstream
M = Manage the pressure
P = Positive Pressure Ventilation with a plan for the downwind vapor exhaust
L = L.A.N.C.E. again
E = Emergency Response Plan – develop an Incident Action Plan and Safety Plan
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©ASTI – www.ammonia-safety.com – August 2008