SCS Engineers and General Refrigeration Company collaborate for safe operations.
Located in Delmar, Delaware, General Refrigeration Company recently constructed a state-of-the-art office and fabrication shop. They built the Mendes Training Center within the office complex to host training for industrial refrigeration operators and technicians. The training center includes an active ammonia refrigeration system and several equipment displays to enhance system and equipment understanding.
RETA, the Refrigerating Engineers & Technicians Association, approved the complex as a RETA Affiliated Testing Center for administering the ANSI Accredited Certification tests. The only thing missing was the instructor.
We’re proud to say General Refrigeration selected Gene Dumas, a Project Director with SCS Engineers, to instruct the RETA Industrial Refrigeration (IR) Course 1, 2, and 3 classes and review class materials for certifications. Gene holds RETA CARO, CIRO, and CRST certifications and is a former RETA National President.
Gene is putting his 30 years of experience and over seven years as a trainer to work.
Collaborating with General Refrigeration, they aim to establish, maintain and assure the highest industry standards in the training center. ANAB and ANSI Standards are recognized internationally and highly regarded by regulatory agencies such as EPA and OSHA in establishing and maintaining the highest industrial and safety benchmarks.
Extending the Certified Refrigeration Service Technician (CRST), review course to a four-day course improved the success rate for students seeking ANSI certifications. Next, they extended the IR-1 and IR-2 classes to be five-days giving students time to review additional materials. Recent CRST Review and IR-2 classes achieved certification exam pass rates greatly exceeding the national average.
Investing in State-of-the-Art Training
Future IR-1 and IR-2 classes will occur in May — register online at www.generalrefrig.com/training.
“The more training and experience operators have, the safer operations can run and with less chance of system outages that result in lost production and product,” states Gene. “It’s an effective way to manage risks.”
For more information, please contact Gene Dumas or Melissa Cassell. For additional information and training, visit Operator, Custom, PSM, RMP Training on the SCS website.
Look, I get it. If a regulator walks in the front door, send your maintenance folks out the back door with a bucket of paint. We want to make the system look shiny and as new as we can get so that the regulator might cut us some slack. However, the issue is what happens when we don’t remove the lipstick, so to speak, and clean up the dirt (in this case, corrosion) underneath. Imagine what a celebrity would look like if they never washed off the makeup that they applied each day. Now take a look around your system. Do any of your pipes or valves, or even vessels, look like …
Keeping reading Lipstick on a Pig, Bill Lape’s latest article in the Epic Fail section of the RETA Breeze, to meet IIAR6 requirements before the regulator arrives.
Bill Lape is a Certified Industrial Refrigeration Operator, a Certified Refrigeration Service Technician, and a member of the National Board of Directors of the Refrigerating Engineers and Technicians Association. He writes regularly to guide businesses and workers using industrial refrigeration.
Bill Lape, Project Director with SCS Tracer, will give a presentation on the effects of the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) regulation on the ammonia refrigeration industry. Bill sits on the RETA Board of Directors.
The Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standard, or CFATS, is one of the most misunderstood regulations that may govern ammonia refrigeration facilities. Bill’s presentation will cover Chemical-terrorism Vulnerability Information and the requirements for protecting this information. Next, he’ll review the basic submission of data to the Department of Homeland Security, otherwise known as a Top Screen. Then cover the specific levels or tiers associated with CFATS, including facility tier assignments and the requirements for each tier. Finally, Bill covers the update requirements and the communication of updates.
In addition, Bill will provide some general observations from across the ammonia refrigeration industry identifying typical tier levels for facilities with ammonia refrigeration systems and illustrating examples of items that typically are included in site security plans for these facilities.
To better serve the unique needs of our clients, we employ experienced staff with backgrounds in oil, petrochemical/chemical industries, aerospace, and manufacturing companies. Tracer’s service professionals are strategically located across the nation and perform the calibration in a wide range of ammonia refrigeration industries such as dairy, food, and beverages; ice arenas and ice manufacturing; cold storage warehouses; and for facilities using ammonia for metal/tooling heat treating, and fossil fuel plants with NOx systems.
As an added service, we can provide consultation on your ammonia detection system based on the IIAR 2-2014 Standard and Recognized and Generally Accepted Good Engineering Practices (RAGAGEP). SCS also offers operator, custom, PSM/RMP training programs.
That’s Bill Lape in a word. Bill is a Certified Industrial Refrigeration Operator, a Certified Refrigeration Service Technician, and a member of the National Board of Directors of the Refrigerating Engineers and Technicians Association – RETA. He is also a certified Process Safety Management Professional through the University of Wisconsin.
PSM SAFETY & COMPLIANCE CONSIDERATIONS IN THE AGE OF PANDEMICS PSM safety programs and training remain a top priority during the pandemic. While online training is not a complete substitute for live, face-to-face PSM training and instruction, in the age of pandemics, it is a viable option. What to look for in PSM – ammonia refrigeration system safety training?
EPIC FAIL: ICE BUILD UP When developing your inspections for your system’s mechanical integrity program, always be mindful of the potential consequences of ice buildup, particularly if it continues for an extended period of time.
Congratulations to Jeanne Lemaster for recently earning her Masters and Ph.D. in NanoEngineering from the University of California, San Diego. While pursuing her doctorate, Jeanne worked part-time as a Project Professional on the Risk Management team with the specialty group SCS Tracer Environmental and has since returned to full time.
Jeanne has been a part of SCS’s team for over seven years. Dr. Lemaster is responsible for the documentation of Process Safety Management Programs (PSM) / Risk Management Programs (RMP) / California Accidental Release Prevention Programs (CalARP) projects for regulated facilities using hazardous materials. Her work includes preparing the program documentation for compliance with the PSM/RMP/CalARP regulations, leading Process Hazard Analyses (PHA) studies, completing Hazard Assessments, providing CalARP implementation training, developing Piping and Instrumentation Diagrams, conducting Seismic Assessments, and producing technical reports for clients.
Jeanne is affiliated with the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AICHE), Refrigerating Engineers and Technicians Association (RETA), and the American Chemical Society (ACS).
Nanoengineers like Jeanne, provide scientific and technical expertise to scientists, engineers, technologists, technicians, or others, using their knowledge of chemical, analytical, and biological processes as applied to micro and nanoscale systems. Nanosystems Engineers also design nanosystems with components such as nanocatalysts or nanofiltration devices to clean specific pollutants from hazardous waste sites. They also design nano-enabled products with reduced toxicity, increased durability, or improved energy efficiency.
Do Tracer Environmental professionals ever slow down? The SCS Tracer professionals at SCS Engineers were busy publishing new articles last month in addition to Operator Training. We’ve compiled several of them along with the most popular in our SCS library for your convenience. Select a title and start reading. Enjoy!
How to Properly Complete an IIAR 6 System Safety Inspection Checklist Form? When filling out the ANSI/IIAR 6-2019 Ammonia Refrigeration Safety Inspection Checklists, located in appendix B, some of the information required may not always be readily accessible. This comprehensive article takes readers step-by-step through the process.
Epic Fails, Part Deux Failures that come together, form a picture. The author discusses how we can begin to learn from these Epic Fails and start to take steps to prevent them in our plants.
Ammonia Pipe and Equipment Labeling – Part I Recognized and Generally Accepted Good Engineering Practices (RAGEGEP), an overview of many of the standards and guidelines that are relevant to the ammonia refrigeration system labeling, and guidance on how to apply them.
Ammonia Pipe and Equipment Labeling – Part II Options facilities have when choosing their RAGAGEP for pipe and equipment labeling.
It’s All in Your Past, RETA Breeze Investing in the knowledge and development of your personnel is the first step towards making your management system world-class in the safe operation and maintenance of your ammonia refrigeration system.
Employee Training Under PSM/RMP FAQs about designing a training program that is part of your facility’s PSM and RMP programs and provides a defensible position during inspections while ensuring that your facility operators and maintainers perform their jobs safely.
Mechanical Integrity, Documentation Discrepancies Checks, and verification prevent big problems.
Managing Organizational Change: How it Impacts Your Ammonia Refrigeration System During periods of organizational change, we must keep in mind the potential impacts on our facility’s PSM/RMP or ARM programs, and on the operation of the ammonia refrigeration system itself.
PSM/RMP Compliance Audits: Who Should Perform Them? What to look for in an auditor for hire? For starters, more than a consultant familiar with PSM/RMP regulations.
Management of Change: Have We Captured All of the Impacts of a Change? It is vital to ask as many questions as possible regarding equipment changes under consideration. With more information, you may find that the proposed changes could impact safety.
SCS Tracer Environmental has a diverse staff of instructors who provide practical, cost-effective ammonia refrigeration training and certification review courses. Training can be provided on-site, at our new training classroom in Oakdale, Minnesota, or at one of our nationwide sessions. Our training programs incorporate RETA, IIAR, manufacturers, field materials, facility-specific standard operating procedures, and/or piping and instrumentation diagrams.
Ammonia Refrigeration Operator Training Programs use the applicable RETA Industrial Refrigeration (IR) 1 & 2 manuals, which participants keep at the conclusion of the classes. These intensive four-day classes are provided in locations across the nation (convenient for attendees to participate locally) or in our new Minnesota classroom.
Operator I: This course is based on the materials in RETA IR-1 Course and is designed as an entry-level training program for a refrigeration operator, manager, and/or safety personnel with limited refrigeration training, or experienced operators who have never received the basic fundamentals of refrigeration principles. Operator I training is also offered in Spanish.
Operator II: This course is based on the material in RETA IR-2 Course and is designed for a refrigeration operator, manager, and/or safety personnel who have successfully completed the Operator I class and have a desire to further their knowledge in industrial refrigeration systems and principles using ammonia as a refrigerant.
PSM/RMP Introduction Training Class uses ammonia refrigeration-focused material specific to your PSM/RMP program and facility, RETA, IIAR, manufacturers, and field materials, as well as facility-specific standard operating procedures. We highlight the responsibilities of the various PSM/RMP Team Members that may include, but not be limited to, maintenance, safety, management, environmental, and/or facilities personnel:
PSM/RMP Advanced Training Class is geared for experienced PSM Program Managers, Plant Managers, ammonia refrigeration facility compliance personnel, and safety-EHS staff who want a detailed review of the more complex regulatory requirements included in the PSM and RMP regulations. The class focuses on the complex details of the following elements: Process Safety Information (RAGAGEP), Standard Operating Procedures, Management of Change (Project planning through Pre Startup Safety Review (PSSR)), and Mechanical Integrity.
RETA CARO/CIRO Review Classes are intensive training designed for operators who are pursuing their RETA CARO or CIRO certification. Each course includes a review of the pertinent materials. During Day 2, participants receive a voucher to take the RETA Practice Test, a $60 value. Our instructors use the practice test results to customize the curriculum on Day 3 to focus on the more difficult concepts.
SCS Engineers is pleased to announce the opening of our newest location in Oakdale, Minnesota. Located approximately 15 miles from the Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport, this SCS office also boasts a training facility dedicated to specialized compliance training related to risk and process safety-based EPA and OSHA regulations. The new location is:
SCS Engineers
7300 Hudson Boulevard North, Suite 135
Oakdale, MN 55128
1 (800) 767-4727
SCS Tracer Environmental, a specialty practice of SCS Engineers, will continue to offer custom onsite training and nationwide training sessions, in addition to ammonia refrigeration operator training, CIRO review classes, CARO review classes, and Process Safety Management and Risk Management Plan (PSM/RMP) training in our new classroom.
To better serve the unique needs of their clients, SCS employs experienced staff with backgrounds in oil, petrochemical/chemical industries, aerospace, and manufacturing companies. Tracer’s service professionals are strategically located across the nation to meet the environmental needs in a wide range of industries using ammonia refrigeration such as dairy, food, and beverages; ice arenas and ice manufacturing; cold storage warehouses; and for facilities using ammonia for metal/tooling heat treating, and fossil fuel plants with NOx systems.
As an added service, SCS provides consultation on ammonia detection systems based on the IIAR 2-2014 Standard and Recognized and Generally Accepted Good Engineering Practices (RAGAGEP).
Click here for more details regarding training.
Yes, we’re ready for another penetrating, piercing, sharp, bracing, brisk, crisp, invigorating, and rigorous RETA conference! This year SCS will be back with our game on and a great lineup with our colleagues…
If you missed Bill Lape’s The Best Little MOC Workshop in Texas catch him at the booth!
SCS Engineers recently added ammonia refrigeration Process Safety Management and Risk Management Program (PSM/RMP) Project Director William Lape to their professional team working with industrial clients. Mr. Lape joins the SCS Tracer Environmental team in the firm’s Minneapolis–St. Paul, Minnesota office.
Lape brings his expertise and established reputation as a plant engineering manager, senior environmental health and safety manager, and as the director of environmental health and safety – Process Safety, at Dean Foods (NYSE: DF). Dean Foods is a multi-billion dollar American food and beverage company, and the largest dairy company in the United States.
Ammonia refrigeration is a well-proven and effective refrigerant. It does require special programs and safety precautions called PSM/RMP. Lape’s education, expertise, and experience qualify him for the SCS team who hold safety and efficiency paramount. His experience includes senior positions in the food processing industry, direct management of facility operations and environmental compliance programs. Lape will support SCS clients with refrigeration and food industry changes and energy conservation initiatives while helping to keep their employees and facilities safe from potential toxicity and flammability events.
Lape is also a regulatory lobbyist for the Ammonia Refrigeration industry and is expert in developing and conducting technical and safety training classes. His process safety expertise includes Management of Change, Mechanical Integrity, Compliance Auditing, Process Hazard Analysis facilitation, and writing Operating Procedures. His experience also includes: developing release scenarios and preparing RMP submissions; operating and maintaining large industrial ammonia refrigeration systems; project management with scope and specification generation, cost estimating, scheduling, project oversight and commissioning.
He is formally educated and degreed from Purdue University, an active member in the Refrigerating Engineers and Technicians Association (RETA), sitting on their Board of Directors, and in the International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration (IIAR) on both the Code and Standards Committees. He has multiple RETA and IIAR certifications; is CVI Certified for U.S Dept. of Homeland Security CFATS, and trained in RCRA & DOT Hazardous Materials Reporting.
“Bill is supporting SCS’s rapid growth in the Upper Midwest and Central U.S. industrial operations by providing increased safety and efficiencies to our private and government clients,” stated Thomas Rappolt, a vice president at SCS Engineers, and office director of SCS Tracer Environmental. “Our customers in the region and nationally will benefit from his valuable expertise managing the staff and protocol for safe and efficient multi-facility and multi-disciplinary facility needs.”
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