Ammonia Release at Industrial Food Processing Facility

Location: Surrey

Regulated industry sector: Boilers, Pressure Vessels, Refrigeration

Incident overview

An ammonia refrigeration system at an industrial food processing facility became over-pressurized, triggering a safety relief valve and releasing ammonia into the atmosphere. The release lasted approximately eight minutes, until the refrigeration compressor was manually shut down by disconnecting its power supply, allowing system pressure to decrease. 

During the incident, the facility was fully evacuated to a designated muster point on the opposite side of the building. While evacuating, two employees sustained minor injuries due to trips and falls and were taken to the hospital for treatment. Emergency services were notified, and responding fire and police personnel restricted access to the nearby public road and surrounding businesses as a precaution.