Posts By Date - Green Markets

TFI, ARA Form Safety Alliance with OSHA

February 4, 2019Breaking Industry NewsDan Cole

The Fertilizer Institute (TFI) and the Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA) announced on Feb. 4 that they have formed an alliance with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to enhance workplace and community safety. The associations said the alliance will build upon the stewardship efforts of ResponsibleAg, a voluntary program created in 2014 by TFI and ARA to improve safety and security at agricultural retail facilities.

“Safety is a key priority for the fertilizer industry,” said TFI President and CEO Chris Jahn. “Through this alliance we will provide partner members and the public with information, guidance, and access to training resources to help them protect the health, safety, and security of workers, emergency responders, and the communities surrounding agricultural retail and supply facilities, with a particular focus on the safe storage and handling of fertilizers.”

The alliance will remain in effect for two years, with representatives from each organization meeting periodically to discuss the responsibilities of the participants, share information on activities, and track results in achieving goals. The alliance said it has already completed its first project with the launch of a training video showing a mock agricultural retail facility inspection. The video was filmed at the ResponsibleAg training facility in Owensboro, Ken.

Additional objectives include the sharing of information on OSHA’s National Initiatives, and opportunities to participate in initiatives and the rulemaking process; sharing information on occupational safety and health laws and standards, including the rights and responsibilities of workers and employers; speaking, exhibiting, and/or appearing at OSHA, TFI, and ARA conferences, local meetings, or other events, including the OSHA Alliance Program Forum; sharing information among OSHA personnel and industry safety and health professionals regarding TFI and ARA good practices or effective approaches through training programs, workshops, seminars, and lectures; and encouraging TFI local sections and ARA members to build relationships with OSHA regional and area offices to address health and safety issues, including the safe storage and handling of fertilizers.

“Safety is much larger than one person or one company,” said ARA President and CEO Daren Coppock. “Safety also means being a good steward – a good steward of the land, business, employees, and the communities in which we operate. This alliance is a positive step for ARA, TFI, and OSHA to work together on an issue that is top of mind for ag retailers.”

Petrobras Initiates Mothballing Process for Camaçari N Plant

Petróleo Brasileiro SA, Rio de Janeiro, said it has initiated the mothballing process of the nitrogen fertilizer plant at Camaçari, Sergipe (Fafen-SE) in northeast Brazil. It said it continues with the lease bidding process for this unit and for the nitrogen fertilizer plant at Laranjeiras, Bahia (Fafen-BA), also in northeast Brazil, awaiting proposals from potential interested parties.

Last month, the oil and gas group announced it had initiated the leasing process for both facilities (GM Jan. 11, p.25).

Petrobras since March last year has been discussing the mothballing of the two plants with authorities and representative bodies, so that the potential negative effects on the Bahia and Sergipe economies are minimized. It had said it opted for mothballing as there was “no manifestation of interest” by potential buyers for the two units.

In early November, it pushed back the planned mothballing to Jan. 31, 2019, and revealed that leasing of the facilities to third parties was an option under consideration (GM Nov. 2, 2018). Earlier last year, it had said it would idle the plants at the end of June, and then later, on Oct. 31, 2018 (GM July 20, 2018; March 30, 2018).

“Currently, more than 80 percent of Brazil’s urea market, the main product of the nitrogenous segment, is already served by imports,” Petrobras said. “With respect to the ammonia market, where Petrobras accounts for about 30 percent of the supply, the group is investing in logistics infrastructure in the port of Aratu, Bahia, to enable the customer services located in Polo de Camaçari and will continue to meet demand by selling its remaining inventories in the short term.”

The group said it has offered Fafen-SE employees opportunities for internal reallocation. A minimum staff will remain in operational routine with the objective of guaranteeing the integrity and security of the facilities.