January marked the completion of the first two-year mandatory audit cycle of the Canadian fertilizer industry’s Ammonia Code of Practice, which was launched in 2008 to provide uniform standards for the handling and storage of anhydrous ammonia at agri-retail facilities in Canada (GM Aug. 18, 2008).
The Canadian Fertilizer Institute’s (CFI) Fertilizer Safety and Security Council (FSSC), which developed the code in partnership with the Canadian Association of Agri-Retailers (CAAR), the Ontario Agri-Business Association, and the Québec Professional Association in Crop Nutrients, reported that more than 85 percent of agri-retail sites in Canada are now in compliance with the code.
“The safety and security of Canadians is a priority to us and we want our products to be handled and used safely and securely in communities across the country,” said Dave Finlayson, FSSC executive director. “The Code of Practice is the first initiative of its kind for ammonia, setting a new global benchmark for fertilizer stewardship. Agri-retailers should be very proud to be leading the way in world safety standards for anhydrous ammonia.”
Under the code, retailers must meet stringent requirements for emergency prevention, preparedness, and response, and they must review these provisions with local emergency responders every year. In order to continue receiving product from CFI member companies, all anhydrous ammonia agri-retail sites in Canada need to pass an audit every two years that ensures compliance with the code. As a condition of membership, all manufacturers, distributors, and retailers must also be in compliance.
FSSC enlisted input from fertilizer manufacturers, distributors, agri-retailers, government agencies, and the first-responder community in developing the code, with public and worker safety and security as top priorities. FSSC said that while existing regulations, safety programs, and training have greatly reduced the number and severity of accidents involving anhydrous ammonia, the code was developed to further reduce this risk.
“We’re encouraged to see the fertilizer industry going beyond what is simply required by law,” said Don Warden, executive director of the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs. “The Ammonia Code will help first responders work hand-in-hand with agri-retailers in protecting our communities.”
Voluntary training audits under the code began in 2007 and ended Dec. 31. 2008. The first two-year auditing cycle began Jan. 1, 2009, with all anhydrous ammonia retail sites required to pass an audit and be fully compliant with the code by the end of 2010. Effective Jan. 1, 2011, CFI’s no-ship policy went into effect, which states that Canadian manufacturers and distributors will supply ammonia only to agri-retailers who have successfully completed an audit in the previous two years.
“Over the past two years, agri-retailers have been diligently preparing their operations to comply with the Ammonia Code of Practice,” said Dave MacKay, president and CEO of CAAR. “Although no small undertaking, the entire sector has proudly established a new benchmark in safety that will serve to protect our employees, customers, and communities.”
According to FSSC, the code is intended to apply to the following segments of the ammonia industry: road transportation; rail transportation; storage and handling operations, including fixed and temporary facilities; associated facilities such as equipment storage areas; and on-farm end use, though on a voluntary basis. The code is not intended to apply to manufacturing, repair shops, industrial end use, or refrigeration.
The code also specifies a resolution process for those facilities not in compliance. For the first offense, a facility is given a prescribed number of days to undertake and complete corrective actions; otherwise certification is withdrawn, and manufacturers/distributors ar