Trupointe Reps Talk Safety at Milford Meeting
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Jordan Fouts-
Brian Manges, Trupointe director of safety and risk management, and Tom Miller, project engineer, mainly addressed safety concerns from residents regarding the fertilizer and grain storage facility under construction north of town.
Manges said he was relieved when he learned that the chemical likely responsible for the West, Texas, plant explosion April 17 – ammonium nitrate – isn’t one his company ever deals with. Ammonium nitrate is a heavily regulated, potentially explosive fertilizer, now representing only about 2 percent of all nitrogen-based fertilizers nationwide.
“We’ve never carried this product and we don’t plan to,” he told residents. Still, he noted, Trupointe plans to work closely with area emergency responders and to hold safety drills internally.
Later, asked what dangers the plant may pose to the town, he said flammability is not a concern with any materials they handle, and that they have safeguards against environmental hazards such as concrete dikes and double-walled containers for material storage.
He also said he doesn’t expect anything more than gravel dust from traffic to enter the air. Light pollution is not expected to be an issue unless they find they need the extra security.
The facility, which is currently in the excavation stage with concrete pads for four buildings completed, will house dry and liquid fertilizer, seed, grain and anhydrous ammonia, according to the two representatives. Anhydrous ammonia is classified by the U.S. Department of Transportation as nonflammable but an inhalation hazard if handled improperly.
Miller noted that only a small percentage of the site will be built on, including an 8,000-square-foot maintenance building and a same-sized administration building. Most of the site will be devoted to the rail loop, and there is room for about 100 semi trucks on the grounds.
The two also said they expect the facility to run normal business hours most of the year, with a spike in traffic for a week or two in the spring. Two liquid fertilizer bays will be open 24 hours but are not expected to be high traffic.
Manges said they are taking applications now and expect to hire about 22 people for the first phase of operations.[[In-content Ad]]
Brian Manges, Trupointe director of safety and risk management, and Tom Miller, project engineer, mainly addressed safety concerns from residents regarding the fertilizer and grain storage facility under construction north of town.
Manges said he was relieved when he learned that the chemical likely responsible for the West, Texas, plant explosion April 17 – ammonium nitrate – isn’t one his company ever deals with. Ammonium nitrate is a heavily regulated, potentially explosive fertilizer, now representing only about 2 percent of all nitrogen-based fertilizers nationwide.
“We’ve never carried this product and we don’t plan to,” he told residents. Still, he noted, Trupointe plans to work closely with area emergency responders and to hold safety drills internally.
Later, asked what dangers the plant may pose to the town, he said flammability is not a concern with any materials they handle, and that they have safeguards against environmental hazards such as concrete dikes and double-walled containers for material storage.
He also said he doesn’t expect anything more than gravel dust from traffic to enter the air. Light pollution is not expected to be an issue unless they find they need the extra security.
The facility, which is currently in the excavation stage with concrete pads for four buildings completed, will house dry and liquid fertilizer, seed, grain and anhydrous ammonia, according to the two representatives. Anhydrous ammonia is classified by the U.S. Department of Transportation as nonflammable but an inhalation hazard if handled improperly.
Miller noted that only a small percentage of the site will be built on, including an 8,000-square-foot maintenance building and a same-sized administration building. Most of the site will be devoted to the rail loop, and there is room for about 100 semi trucks on the grounds.
The two also said they expect the facility to run normal business hours most of the year, with a spike in traffic for a week or two in the spring. Two liquid fertilizer bays will be open 24 hours but are not expected to be high traffic.
Manges said they are taking applications now and expect to hire about 22 people for the first phase of operations.[[In-content Ad]]
Have a news tip? Email [email protected] or Call/Text 360-922-3092