Ammonium Nitrate Facilities: Safety & Oversight

In April 2013, about 30 tons of ammonium nitrate fertiliser detonated during a fire at a facility in West, Texas, killing at least 14 people and damaging nearby schools, homes, and a nursing home. This incident raised concerns about the risks posed by similar facilities across the country. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) play a central role in protecting workers and communities from chemical accidents, and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) administers a chemical facility security program. This book addresses how many facilities have ammonium nitrate in the United States; how OSHA and EPA regulate and oversee facilities that have ammonium nitrate; and what approaches selected other countries have adopted for regulating and overseeing facilities with ammonium nitrate. It also focuses on some of the federal regulatory programs overseeing storage of ammonium nitrate and anhydrous ammonia by retailers.