Document BymYNz27KgvrLjdQVkLB6QxVj

THE DISCOVERY COMPANY UNION CARBIDE CORPORATION * MINING & METALS DIVISION P.O. BOX K KING CITY, CALIF. 93930 TEL: 408-385-5961 October, 1974 E. A. Piersall Grand Junction Colorado Subject: Major Hazards Recognized major hazards at the King City location are as follows: 1. ) 2. ) 3. ) 4. ) 5. ) 6. ) 7. ) 8. ) 9. ) Rrpflf_hlng asbestos dust. Operation of fork lifts. Operation of motor vehicles, Propane and natural fuel systems, Outside contractor's ore truck, - mining and stripping operations. Acetic acid storage and circulating systems. Sodium silicate storage and circulating systems. High voltage - electric - sub station. Southern Pacific switches and railroad crossing. . 1. ) All employees are exposed in varying degrees to asbestos dust. F. H, Larrison has contacted all our employees and covered cn Qf IntidLlilug asbestos and smoking. A booklet called "What Every Employee Should Know About Asbestos" has been given to every employee. Air sampling is done monthly by our quality control supervisor. Dust levels are within the Cal-OSHA limits. The dry areas of the mine and plant are considered respirator areas. All employees working in these areas are required to wear B of M 2IB rating respirators. 2. ) Fork lift operations have been made less hazardous since a new road way and ramp have been installed. The fork lift and people traffic have now been seperated. Fork lift traffic in the plant is still a hazard. Yellow warning lights are installed on top of all the fork lifts. 3. ) All company vehicles are equipped with seat belts. Company cars- trucks have lap and shoulder belts. Tlie bucket loaders, scrapers and dozers have roll over protection and seat belts. All employees are required to wear the safety belts during the vehicle operation. A24241 Tp 1*4 .T CuGld rii HU; ,a" rfSbeSIOS T`136, an effiCitMl* lGW*CQSt icr. it is GCHb f jimiTVunl t ifj.fi [wntuw .i :>y TViist.an & Hollingsworth Co.. J subsid^Y of OromonU Innrn.iticviai Crnj>o:..iion. UCC 000154 Major Hazards (2) 4.) There are two (2) propane storage tanks located on the mill site.- 30,000 gallons total storage is held for stand-by in case the plant is taken off natural gas. A concrete wall and steel post full of cement should prevent vehicles from running into the tanks. Natural gas is piped in from P. G. & E.'s main line. The gas meter and piping are exposed next to the plants' south railway switch. Steel posts filled with cement surround this area for protection. If a railcar derailed in this area, the steel post would not offer much protection to the natural gas line and meter. 5.) The outside contractor ore trucks - mining and stripping equipment - are a hazard at times. All contractors are required to follow Union Carbide Corporation Contractor Safety Rules. The ore trucks are required to follow the plants 15 mph speed limit in the plant yard. Forklift cross traffic with the ore trycks pose some what of a hazard during day shift operations. All plant fork lifts are to give the ore trucks right of way. Safety signs are posted "Danger Cross Fork Lift Traffic". 6.) Acetic acid storage and circulating system has "Danger Acid" signs posted through out the system. The storage tank has a cement curb area around it in case of a rup ture. The drain-away from the cement curbed area will handle the 6,500 gallons the tank holds. The drain empties into the plant waste water pond, which will hold the tank's total volume. 7.) Sodium silicate storage and circulating system is not much of a hazard. The storage tank has the same cement curbed drain away system as the acetic acid. The storage system holds about 8,000 gallons which the plant waste water pond can hold with no problem if a rupture occured. 8.) High voltage electric sub-station. The electrical system is set up so if a ground occurs in the system, a ground horn will sound. Each piece of equipment is then isolated until the ground is found and repaired. 9. ) Southern Pacific's switches and railway crossing. The rail crossing is always a hazard during working hours. All employees are warned about the crossing. Signal lights and bells also warn all persons in the area. The out side rail switches are maintained and controlled by Southern Pacific employees. If a switch were left open to our siding it would surely cause loss of life and great property damage. Ocher than earthquakes and floods, natural hazards are minimal at the plant. There is no adjacent manufacturing in the area. Breathing asbestos dust is the one; rnajor hazard that is continually being improved upon, flew dust collectors, hooding systems and clean up enforcement greatly improve the air borne asbestos dust. Very truly yours, UNION CARBIDE CORPORATION Robert J. jCronkqyte Safety Engineer " RJK:sp A24242 UCC 000155