Garden City Ammonia Program (GCAP), a privately owned ammonia technical training program based in Garden City, Kansas, has added courses on process safety management (PSM) and EPA’s risk management program (RMP) to address changes in the regulations.

While GCAP has offered four-day courses in ammonia operations and process safety management for some time, 2013 saw a change in operations as the organization reached out to help customers comply with OSHA’s PSM and the EPA’s RMP programs.

In preparation for that change, in 2011, GCAP filed of federal Freedom of Information Act requests to OSHA and the EPA for PSM and RMP citations, including inspection narratives and supporting videos and pictures. This information was added to a database and used to reimagine the PSM course offered at the school. Starting in 2012, the course has been taught using a manual written entirely by GCAP staff. The manual combines industry best practices with the best available guidance from the IIAR, the Center for Chemical Process Safety, thousands of OSHA and EPA citations, and the experience of students in the field. GCAP instructors visit dozens of facilities each year to share experiences and learn from those working on and with ammonia systems and process safety programs on a daily basis.

In 2013, GCAP visited more than 50 facilities to assist them with their process safety programs. These experiences were used to revise and improve the program. In response to customer input, GCAP has added a CO2 refrigeration class and offers its combined Operator 1 and Operator 2 classes in seven-day boot camps.

GCAP is also updating its facilities with a $3 million expansion behind its existing site. When completed, the facility will house a 13-compressor ammonia system, a new classroom and additional office space for the GCAP compliance team. It will also house the John Randall Williams Institute for Excellence in Ammonia Process Safety, reportedly the first program in the world dedicated specifically to ammonia process safety.

GCAP has scheduled a dozen on-site PSM classes throughout the country over the first half of 2014. For more information on GCAP’s PSM compliance services and classes or for additional ammonia training, go to www.ammoniatraining.com