P1 Technicians Receive Emergency Response Training
LENEXA, Kan. - Five P1 ammonia refrigeration technicians have been trained to respond to ammonia spills and other emergencies through the HAZWOPER (Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response) 40 Hour training developed by OSHA.
Dan Shoemaker, Dan Holloway, Jamar Jackson, Ricky Rohaus and Chad Moreland attended the training along with Lewis Ellington of Schreiber Foods, a P1 customer.
The P1 Ammonia Division has been growing steadily for the past year. Most P1 ammonia customers are food processors who use ammonia to maintain safe temperatures for food storage. P1 technicians perform the maintenance on the ammonia systems and now the HAZWOPER team is prepared to respond to an ammonia emergency. Ammonia presents a high health hazard because it is corrosive to skin, eyes and lungs.
The P1 team trained at the Lenexa office of Wise Safety & Environmental February 13-17. After several hours in the classroom, they practiced with the three highest levels of personal protective equipment. The highest - Level A - includes a positive pressure, full face-piece breathing apparatus (with oxygen tank) and a completely encapsulated chemical and vapor-protective suit.
This is the first time P1 has assembled and trained a HAZWOPER team.
“HAZWOPER is fairly intense training, and as our division has grown we have realized that we can best serve our customers if we have a team trained to respond to an emergency. We hope we don't have one, but now we are prepared," said Michael Schram, manager of P1's ammonia division.
Chad Moreland in Level A PPE
