OSHA says it is partnering with the Agricultural Retailers Association and The Fertilizer Institute to reach more than 7,000 agricultural retailers, distributors, producers and other facilities in the industry to “remind employers of the importance of safely storing and handling” ammonium nitrate. The effort follows the April 2013 ammonium nitrate explosion in West, TX, which killed 15 people, including 12 emergency response personnel, and triggered hearings on Capitol Hill into ammonium nitrate and other chemical safety issues, as well as a presidential order tackling the subject (see related story).
The trade associations will distribute a letter from OSHA chief David Michaels to fertilizer industry employers throughout the country.
“The tragedy in West, Texas, and other incidents underscore the need for employers who store and handle hazardous substances like ammonium nitrate to ensure the safety of those materials – not just for workers at the facility but for the lives and safety of emergency responders and nearby residents,” Michaels says in the letter. “I am calling on you today to take the necessary steps to prevent tragic ammonium nitrate incidents.”
