Many industrial cold storage facilities must comply with regulations set by government agencies or other organizations. These regulations cover areas such as safety and security, environmental impact, and sustainability. Facilities must also comply with their internal policies and procedures to remain compliant with regulations and to ensure efficient operations.
Between auditing, regulatory updates, and staff training, cold storage operators have a lot on their plates. With so many important tasks to juggle, it can be difficult to find the time and resources to maintain regulatory compliance and the efficient operation of your storage facility. Luckily, you don’t have to do it alone. There are services available to help businesses achieve regulatory compliance and efficient operation of their facilities. Consider hiring a third-party consulting service provider that can assist with regulatory compliance issues and advise in the efficient operation of your facility.
At Ice Cold Consulting, we offer a range of PSM consulting and compliance audits that help facility managers ensure their facilities are operating in compliance with federal, state, and local environmental regulations. Our comprehensive consulting services can help you implement processes that improve efficiency in your facility.
Read on to learn which services are required to ensure regulatory compliance and efficiency for your storage facility.
What are Regulatory Compliance and Efficient Operations?
Regulatory compliance refers to meeting a set of legal requirements set forth by regulatory agencies. Efficient operations are critical for ensuring that facilities run efficiently and effectively while maintaining compliance with relevant regulations.
Businesses in the industrial sector must review and audit their procedures for accuracy and compliance with OSHA, OEM, IIAR, and EPA standards. Violations of these regulations can result in hefty fines and other penalties.
Why Are Compliance Audits a Big Deal?
A compliance audit is a process to verify that your company complies with applicable laws and regulations for areas such as environmental, safety, and corporate responsibilities. Compliance regulations are important for businesses of all types as they set standards for how companies operate.
Without these regulations, workers and consumers could be exposed to unsafe working conditions or products that may be harmful to their health. According to OSHA guidelines, employers are required to evaluate workplace hazards and implement effective control measures to minimize any risk of injury or illness to their workers. A properly implemented compliance program should protect workers from injuries, illnesses, and other adverse effects of their jobs.
Furthermore, there are many environmental hazards your business can experience. For example, your facility may experience leaks from equipment or pressure vessels. These leaks can cause serious harm to people and the environment if left unchecked.
Therefore, as a storage facility manager, it’s your job to ensure the safety of your employees, consumers, and business operations by implementing an effective compliance program.
Essential Regulatory Compliance and Efficient Operation Services
Ammonia Risk Management (ARM) Program
Ammonia has a variety of applications in a variety of industries, but it’s primarily used as a refrigerant in systems for cooling storing and processing foods and beverages. Ammonia is a colorless gas with a sharp odor that is highly toxic to both humans and animals. It can cause death upon inhalation in large quantities.
To reduce the risks of ammonia release and exposure, government agencies have set up regulations and standards for all facilities using ammonia as a refrigerant or other chemical substance.
Ammonia Hazards
Ammonia is a highly toxic substance that can cause death by ingestion or inhalation when released into the environment. However, it has a pungent smell that is detectable even at low concentrations making it self-alarming and easy to detect. While fire hazards are also a major concern, one of the most important risks to human health posed by the use of ammonia is its respiratory toxicity.
Ammonia concentration in a confined place such as a cold storage facility can reach very high levels in a short period after ammonia is released. Exposure to high concentrations of this gas can cause severe lung damage or even death. Not only that but when mixed with oils and other lubricants, it can be explosive in certain environments.
ARM Program Service Importance
All cold storage facilities must follow regulatory requirements regarding the safe handling and storage of any chemicals they handle or store to prevent the release of dangerous substances into the air or the surrounding environment. The regulatory requirements for facility operators vary by state and county, but the two major federal safety rules that govern ammonia operations in the United States are the Clean Air Act and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s Process Safety Management standard.
A consulting expert can evaluate and identify risks and hazards in your operation and provide solutions that will reduce them. They can also review your process to ensure that it is compliant and provides your employees and the public with a safe working environment.
The procedure and process followed by our consultants are detailed to ensure quality and efficiency in meeting regulatory goals. They utilize the latest industry best practices and techniques to address any concerns you may have.
Compliance Audits
Compliance audits are another essential service that can help cold storage facilities comply with industry standards and prevent fires, spills, and other hazardous situations from affecting their operations. A compliance audit evaluates and monitors your organization’s compliance with applicable regulations and standards.
Through a compliance audit, you get a comprehensive assessment of your security controls, policies, and procedures to determine whether they are sufficient to meet requirements. With this information in hand, you can identify areas for improvement and take corrective action if needed.
Compliance audits must be scheduled by storage facility owners every 3 years due to regulation changes occurring every few years. Additionally, with technology evolving rapidly and potential threats increasing every year, it is important for cold storage owners and operators to stay on top of changes in compliance requirements, implement new procedures accordingly, and keep their facilities secure.
What Can You Expect from Compliance Audits?
Audits are conducted by consulting service companies that specialize in compliance and have been accredited by a recognized industry body or third-party standard organization. The types of standards these organizations follow include OSHA and EPA.
The primary objectives of an audit are to:
- Assess the adequacy of compliance-related policies and processes
- Uncover weaknesses and vulnerabilities within the system that can lead to violations and penalties
- Recommending corrective measures to be taken to ensure compliance
At Ice Cold Consulting, our team can ensure that all the equipment in your facility is functioning properly and there are no underlying issues that may cause problems later down the road.
Process Safety Maintenance Audits
Process safety maintenance audits are services that help prevent incidents from happening and help find and correct safety issues before they result in a significant financial loss to the facility. Employees are often unaware of existing issues and workarounds used to overcome them, so conducting regular process safety maintenance audits helps organizations improve operational performance and identify areas that should be improved upon.
This service is essential to prevent workplace injuries and minimize risk to employees, customers, and the public. It also helps clients avoid costly lawsuits and regulatory fines that can result from serious incidents. Industrial equipment maintenance audits usually involve analyzing processes using specialized equipment to evaluate factors such as piping integrity, safety systems and maintenance procedures to identify potential hazards and deficiencies in the current system.
The results of the audit are used by companies to improve the overall safety and productivity of their facilities and reduce the risks of regulatory violations.
At Ice Cold Consulting, we have extensive knowledge of industrial processes and equipment and can help your facility comply with the latest regulations and avoid penalties and legal action. Whether you’re operating in the food and beverage industry or pharmaceutical production, we can help improve your operations and increase employee safety.
Procedure Writing and Audits
Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are a set of written instructions detailing how a task should be performed. They are designed to ensure that tasks are carried out consistently without deviations from standard procedures. They can be used to train new employees or replace outdated procedures with up-to-date guidelines. Having standard operating procedures in place can prevent costly downtime and other operational inefficiencies.
Writing SOPs by an expert team of technicians provides accurate procedures and guidelines for performing particular tasks and ensures that all critical steps are addressed before a new procedure is put in place. Storage facilities have complex and hazardous electrical and mechanical systems that can be difficult to navigate. These SOPs can reduce the risk of accidents and injuries for workers by giving them step-by-step guides and instructions. It will not only increase operational efficiency but also improve workplace safety and save the company money on repairs, insurance premiums, and safety-related expenses.
Mechanical Integrity Audits
The objective of mechanical integrity audit service is to make sure that mechanical equipment is properly maintained to prevent breakdowns and maintain safety standards in an industrial facility. To conduct a mechanical integrity audit, a team of trained technicians will inspect equipment to determine its condition and identify areas that may need repair.
Another important aspect of mechanical integrity audits is identifying unsafe working conditions in the facility. These situations need to be addressed immediately to avoid personal injury or property damage. During the inspection process, the technicians may identify violations related to occupational health and safety standards. For instance, they may find exposed wires near moving machinery that can lead to electrocution hazards. The technicians may recommend additional safety measures to reduce the risk of injury in the workplace. For example, they may install cable protectors to block access to hazardous areas.
It’s essential to schedule mechanical integrity audits regularly to identify potential problems before they turn into safety hazards. Mechanical integrity audits also assess the gap analysis between safe operating conditions and actual conditions and recommend improvements that need to be made to ensure that employees are safe on the job. You need consulting experts on your team to perform a comprehensive analysis to ensure the integrity of the equipment and the safety of the people using it.
PSM Program Management
A PSM program management plan service is a fundamental requirement of OSHA regulation for businesses that control hazardous chemicals at the workplace. An effective PSM program is essential for protecting the health and safety of your employees and preventing damage to property and equipment caused by chemical leaks.
To comply with the requirements of OSHA regulations, you need to develop a PSM program that specifies the procedures for controlling hazardous chemicals, establishes criteria for determining whether a substance qualifies as a hazardous chemical, and identifies the specific procedures for handling hazardous chemicals safely.
You can count on Ice Cold Consulting to provide competent, experienced personnel who can oversee the development and implementation of your PSM program to ensure that all required components are properly implemented and maintained. We have over 50 years of audit experience in a wide range of industries. We provide customized solutions that meet the unique needs of your business and ensure compliance with all regulatory requirements.
Whether you plan on scheduling a mechanical integrity audit, compliance audit, or ARM /EPA review services in the near future, we can help you minimize the risk of property damage and injuries resulting from faulty equipment by ensuring that your facilities meet the highest safety standards in the industry.
Our team has worked on several projects that satisfied USDA, FDA, HACCP, IIAR, EPA and OSHA requirements. So rest assured, you will be in safe hands. Our experts have years of experience and professional training.
Contact us today by dialing (844) 265-3737 for more information and details about us and the services that we provide.
