2020 RETA Breeze May-Jun

RETA BREEZE

REFRIGERATING ENGINEERS & TECHNICIANS ASSOCIATION MAY / JUNE 2020

PSM SAFETY & COMPLIANCE IN THE AGE OF PANDEMICS

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BREEZE

The RETA Breeze is the official publication of the Refrigerating

Engineers & Technicians Association (RETA). RETA is an international not- for-profit association whose mission is to enhance the professional development of industrial refrigeration operating and technical engineers. Don Chason Executive Editor 704-455-3551 Jim Barron Executive Director

PSM SAFETY & COMPLIANCE IN THE AGE OF PANDEMICS page 19

jim@reta.com Sara Louber Senior Director, Office Operations

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

sara@reta.com Dan Reisinger Certification Manager dan@reta.com Michelle Robinson Conference Manager michelle@reta.com Dan Denton Chapter Relations Liaison ddenton@reta.com Vince Grindel Education Coordinator vince@reta.com

Message FromThe President............4 Message FromThe Executive Director.............................6 Epic Fail...............................................8 Ice build up Conference Corner.............................10 The Conference will go on Education Corner............................14 Education - Efficiency - Development Where is my NH3 going?................16 PSM Safety & Compliance..............18 In the Age of Pandemics

RETA Training Institute..................22 RETA Testing Corner No. 19 V1...26 RETA’s Testing And ANSI Guru Certification......................................29 Honor Roll ¡La Sombra del Arbole del Mecánico!. ..................................30 Volumen IV

The information in this publication is based on the collective experience of industry engineers and technicians. Although the information is intended to be comprehensive and thorough, it is subject to change. The Refrigerating Engineers & Technicians Association expressly disclaims any warranty of fitness for a particular application, as well as all claims for compensatory, consequential or other damages arising out of or related to the uses of this publication. Publication of advertisements in Breeze , or any other RETA publication, does not constitute endorsement of any products, services or advertisers by RETA and shall not be considered or represented by advertiser as such. Copyright © 2020 Refrigerating Engineers & Technicians Association.

REFRIGERATING ENGINEERS & TECHNICIANS ASSOCIATION 1725 Ferry St. SW, Albany, OR 97322 Telephone: 541.497.2955 | Fax: 541.497.2966 RETA.com

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2019-20 BOARD OF DIRECTORS CHAIRMAN Arlie Farley, CARO, CIRO Farley’s S.R.P., Inc. PRESIDENT Vern Sanderson, CIRO, CRST, RAI Wagner-Meinert, LLC EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT Eric Teale, CARO, CRST Danfoss Industrial Refrigeration TREASURER Keith Harper, CARO Tyson Foods SECOND VICE PRESIDENT Pete Lepschat, CIRO, CRES, CRST Henningsen Cold Storage, Co. DIRECTORS Bengie Branham, CIRO Perdue Farms William Ellena Coastal Pacific Food Distributors, Inc David Gulcynski, CIRO Dot Foods Inc. Michael Hawkins Midatlantic Refrigeration, LLC Matt Hayes, CARO TJW Industrial Edward Johnson, CARO Schwans Global Supply Chain, Inc. Frank Kologinczak III Kolo Compression Jim Kovarik Gamma Graphics Bill Lape, CARO, CIRO, CRST SCS Engineers Jordan Reece, RAI Ricky Jimenez, CIRO Mericle Mechanical Inc COMMITTEE CHAIRS Gene Dumas, CARO, CIRO, CRST, RAI Nominations SCS Tracer Environmental Dave Gulcynski, CIRO , Education Dot Foods, Inc. Jim Kovarik, National Conference Gamma Graphics Lanier Technical College Raymond Urban, CARO Lineage Logistics

FROM THE DESK OF THE PRESIDENT

GOOD TIMES AHEAD!

It appears as if things are loosening in many areas of the country. Over the last few months, our industry has shown an uncanny ability to adapt. Many facilities have pushed production limits well beyond capacity in response to the pandemic. Refrigeration professionals around the country have gone above and beyond the call to ensure the food chain is moving. Thank you, to all of the Refrigeration Heroes! It is important to remember the compliance and safety side of our business. Increased production, social distancing, and the other rigors of business cannot allow us to disregard our safety and compliance obligations. I expect by the time this goes to print we will have new guidance from EPA on maintaining compliance during the pandemic.

Vern Sanderson, RETA National President

The final touches of Industrial Refrigeration Book 1 are in process and it will be available for purchase on the website by the end of the month. Special thanks goes out to everyone who has worked diligently to make this book possible. The review committee did a fantastic job. The book has been modernized and updated and RETA HQ worked with formatting. A final resolutions committee was formed to make final edits all before releasing the book to you. No disrespect to Elliott Hallowell, Guy King, and Ivan Stepnich, they developed a great training tool for their era, but today’s Industrial Refrigeration 1 is much better than their 1972 draft.

Michael Hawkins, Membership Midatlantic Refrigeration, LLC Matt Hayes, CARO, Publications TJW Industrial Lee Pyle, CARO, Certification SCS Tracer Environmental Jim Barron, Executive Director

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Industrial Refrigeration 2 is on the way. It has been approved by the Board of Directors. It is also the best IR2, we have ever had. But I would like to note, there are improvements to be made to all of our materials. Everyday we learn more. It is vital that all of us take the time to pass on what we learn. Education is a building process. We lay the foundation for the kids who are following us. Our daughters and sons should not have to learn the hard lessons as we have. I learned to purge air manually with a raincoat over my head. My daughter learned how to turn on a Hanson AP08. What will my grandson learn? It all depends on what we choose to teach the future generations. A man once said, “Hoarding knowledge is a crime against humanity!” If you steal an apple, you have denied someone the joy of eating an apple. If you refuse to teach them how to grow apple trees, you’ve denied humanity of food. The first is illegal, the second immoral. I encourage you (yes you!) to contact the education committee and volunteer to pass some of your knowledge on by infusing it into our training materials. If you are currently involved in a book revision, thank you! The organization has been very busy, planning for this year’s Conference, the premier industrial refrigeration training event in the world. This year’s Conference will have some new stuff, some old stuff, and a lot of fun. I’m told that teams are already forming for the RETA Rumble. Please remember side wagers are against the rules, except for the $5 I have on Eric Teale’s team. LOL The membership committee has some very exciting news. They are preparing an announcement! I can’t wait to see what Mike Hawkins’ team has come up with. But that’s for them to announce. Have a great (and safe) summer! Vern M. Sanderson 2020 RETA National President

Helping you keep it cool for over 30 years!

763-205-0828 camcolubricants.com

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FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Hello RETA Membership, In challenging times like we are having today with COVID-19 and uncertainty in the country, it becomes increasingly difficult to write an uplifting message to you but as Robert H. Schuller said, “Tough times never last, but tough people do.” RETA is moving forward with 2020 National Conference preparation with all the bells and whistles. Safety is our number one priority and we are in continuous contact with state and federal agencies and are closely monitoring a variety of reliable resources to plan for a safe event. We are also developing safety protocols including new hand sanitizer stations to increase the safety of our attendees without ruining the positive effects of an in person Conference. We have also been making progress with new certification testing options. This is called “OLP”which stands for online proctoring. Right now, we are in the process of ANSI approval and testing of procedures. It is our hope to have this approved and in place very soon. This will allow our members to test from approved conditions and laptops from any remote location. This is a new adventure to say the least. The Education Coordinator and Education Committee are proud to Industrial Refrigeration 2 which will be available in the RETA store in the next few weeks. I can honestly say these books have never looked better and I send a big THANK YOU to everyone present the latest revisions of Industrial Refrigeration 1 and

who has worked on these books. Basic Electricity 2 is currently in the revision process and will be available by the end of the year. Our new PSM and Controls books are both moving along, but the committees are on the lookout for volunteers if you or anyone you know is interested in participating. Online training is going strong and we were pleased at the number of members who signed up for the 3 complementary online courses. We hope those courses assisted you with your educational needs during this unusual and uncertain time. We would like to thank our users of online training for letting us know of testing errors they come across in the book tests. We have been repairing them as we can and every day we’re growing and getting better thanks to you. Our RETA National President Vern Sanderson and our Board of Directors continue to carry out RETA business for the Association. As always, we strive to meet the RETA mission while doing the right things for the right reasons. Your National Board does this with passion. My thanks go out to every single one of them. Due to the circumstances, the spring board meeting was held online this year because of travel restrictions. We still had fantastic dialogue and camaraderie while taking care of RETA business. Great job RETA Board. Moving forward, RETA will continue revising and creating educational materials, will continue to fulfill ANSI requirements for testing, will continue planning the #1 Conference in the industrial refrigeration industry, will continue answering the phone and

RETA Executive Director Jim Barron

supporting our members while helping them be successful in their roles in industry. We will also keep our online training up to date with all revised material from our fantastic education sub-committees. They are doing an excellent job moving RETA forward and we thank them for their service to RETA. My wish, hope, and prayer is that each and everyone of you stay safe, healthy, and productive. Keep doing the right things for the right reasons and we will all be successful in our endeavors.

God Bless, Jim Barron Executive Director

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EPIC FAIL

ICE BUILD UP The subject of this edition of Epic Fails is excessive ice buildup. This is a topic So let’s look at some examples of what could be construed as excessive ice

became so choked that the system could no longer be run without risking a release. When the first drift eliminator was removed, the airflow through the opening was so strong that it pulled a person’s hard hat off. Now some might argue that this ice buildup might not meet the criteria spelled out in IIAR 6 for excessive ice buildup, but without true engineering calculations, how can we disprove that this ice buildup negatively impacted the structural integrity of the condenser?

that is frequently discussed (some would say argued). I personally have seen a regulatory inspector freak out, to use the colloquial term, over a thin layer of frost on a product tank surge drum. I think that few who actually work in our industry would think that that would be excessive. This topic has been so heated over the years that the International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration, in their Standard 6, which covers inspection, testing, and maintenance of closed circuit ammonia refrigeration systems, took pains to provide some parameters around ice buildup. Section 5.6.8 of IIAR 6 states: 5.6.8 *Equipment and piping shall be kept free from excessive ice buildup.

buildup. Do you recognize what is shown in the first picture, shown bellow? It is a view into an evaporative condenser that is completely frozen over. This occurred during the fall in a northern state. Each time that the facility attempted to turn the water off, the discharge pressure would jump up and they turned the water back on. The reason for the jump in pressure was not properly investigated until the airflow

1

5.6.8.1 Ice buildup shall not interfere with the operation of emergency shut-off valves. 5.6.8.2 Ice accumulation shall not be permitted to deflect or bend pipes, displace components, or negatively impact the system’s structural integrity.

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Finally, the last photo represents ice buildup that borders on being an imminent threat. As the ice buildup envelopes that small bore piping and valves on the oil pot, it will begin the bend and deflect them, potentially causing a catastrophic release of ammonia.

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I am told that this second photo is of a recirculation pump. I can attest that the piping going into the ball of ice did come from a vessel that could be considered a Recirculator, but I can also tell you that you couldn’t prove it by me that there was indeed a pump under that ice. Needless to say, there is also no way that that pump could be isolated in the event of an emergency. In the third photo, you can at least see the pump in question, but the isolation valve would be difficult, at best, to operate in an emergency.

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IIAR 6 does state in the informative appendix that:

The owner is permitted to develop and incorporate defrost operational procedures, ice removal procedures using mechanical tools, or both, with determined frequencies to safely remove ice often enough to avoid excess accumulation. Bear this in mind when developing your inspections for your system’s mechanical integrity program. Always be mindful of the potential consequences of ice buildup, particularly if it is allowed to continue for an extended period of time. If you have photos of an Epic Fail please pass them on to nh3isB2L@gmail.com. Bill Lape is Project Director for SCS Engineers. Bill is a Certified Industrial Refrigeration Operator, a Certified Refrigeration Service Technician, and a member of the National Board of Directors of the Refrigerating Engineers and Technicians Association.

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a

The next two photos provide some clear examples where the ice buildup interferes with the operation of emergency shut off valves.

4

b

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CONFERENCE CORNER

THE 2020 CONFERENCE WILL GO ON. Michelle Robinson, Conference Manager

Hello RETA Members not stop our commitment to our members, attendees, sponsors, and exhibitors. Our efforts to provide our membership with RETA’s 2020 National I hope this finds you well and healthy. Though the nation has made some tough decisions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this virus will Conference filled with hands-on training, workshops, technical presentations, networking events, and an expansive exhibit hall will continue.

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• Introduction to 6 CFR 27, The Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standard • Getting the Maximum Benefit from Your Incident Investigation Program and Procedures • Compliance Audits: Ensuring the Viability of a Living Program • FY Budgeting Process-Capital Budgeting • Critical Tasks for an Emergency Action Plan • Evaluating an Evaporative Condenser to Determine if it is a Permit-Required Confined Space • Daily Rounds, What Are They Really, AndWhy Are They Important? • FSMA Compliance and Energy Savings with an Effective Building Envelope • How Do I Cavitate Thee? Let Me Count the Ways • Refrigeration Pressure Vessels: Design Considerations for an Evolving Industry • Vessels Operating at Temperatures Colder than the MDMT Stamped on the Nameplate • The Side Port: A Compressor’s Little Helper topics and there is something for everyone ranging from student to expert in the industry. The following technical topics will be presented: Our educational Conference has an all-encompassing program helping you, at any level of experience and position, growwithin the refrigeration industry. We have several educational

The Conference will have 4 Hands-On and 3 Manufacturing Sessions. There is something for everyone. These sessions will not only be worth 2 PDH credits, but you will gain invaluable information and knowledge from a trained professional instructing the class. Each hands-on session will be held twice and are as follows: Valve Rebuilding Looking at a rebuild kit can appear to be the precursor to a daunting task. This session will provide the logical hands-on experience to departmentalize even the most complex rebuild while providing the information gained from hundreds of hours of practical experience. Proper HEV Setting Hand expansion valves are a vital part of most refrigeration installations. An improperly adjusted hand expansion valve will either rob efficiency by starving the evaporator coil or by overfeeding the evaporator coil and causing excessive cycling of the solenoid valve. This course allows you to set a hand expansion valve to meet demand and establish the 80% run time expected in liquid feed applications.

Hand on sessions 4

Control Valve Isolation and Pump Out Control valves fail perhaps as often as any other system component. Safe isolation is vital for the safety of the refrigeration operator and this session will provide operators with hands-on experience under the direction of an instructor who can answer your questions. Join us Strainer Cleaning One of the most common maintenance procedures, strainer cleaning, can also be challenging. Proper cleaning and inspection are vital. A dirty strainer robs system efficiency, but a damaged strainer can lead to control valve damage and potential damage to the system. This hands-on session is designed to build the comfort level and to divulge some of the tricks of the strainer cleaning trade. for an interesting and enlightening session.

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1. Canned Pump Rebuild 2. How to Prevent False Alarms in Gas Detection Systems with Live Calibration Lesson 3. Pressure Relief Valve Options/ Applications

3 Manufacturing Sessions

Each Manufacturing Sessions will be held twice and are as follows:

If that was not fun enough, please plan on also attending our other organized events.

Our membership, sponsors and exhibitors are #1! We at HQ are working with YOU. This situation is scary enough. With that said we want to give you security at these uncertain times. Therefore, we are extending our cancelation and refund policy for our 2020 RETA National Conference. They are as follows: • The cancellation date has been extended out to August 1, 2020 with no penalties. • Cancellation after August 1, 2020 due to COVID-19, RETA will offer to hold your payment as a credit for the 2021 Conference.

Monday, October 26th thru Thursday, October 29th

RETA After Hours: Times vary.

Monday, October 26th

• In the case RETA would have to cancel, we would honor a refund.

Top Golf: 12pm-3pm Must preregister. WiNR (Women in Natural Refrigeration) Comedy Hour Networking Event: 6pm-7pm. Must preregister.

• If you opt to continue with your sponsorship for 2020 but are unable to attend, RETA will honor your sponsorship and will ensure your company name will be represented during the Conference, even if you are not physically there. Exposure is everything!

Tuesday, October 27th

Pitmaster Evening Event: 4pm-6pm Flashback Tuesday – Live Music, Dinner, and Games: 6pm-9pm

RETA HQ is committed to our membership and will continue to keep you informed of any changes or actions that need to be taken. Until then, planning for our 2020 National Conference will continue to move forward. We are all in it together! I look forward to seeing you in Orlando!

Wednesday, October 28th

RETA Rumble and Breakfast: 7:30am-9:30am Sip n Dip: 5:30pm-6:30pm Awards Banquet: 6:45pm-9:30pm

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EDUCATION CORNER

Self Education is something every person should be actively pursuing on a daily basis. EDUCATION EFFICIENCY DEVELOPMENT

The old saying “learn something new every day” should be a personal goal for each of us. RETA was founded over one hundred years ago with that goal in mind. RETA’s Mission is to“enhance the professional development of industrial refrigeration operating and technical engineers.” To that end, RETA has developed training resources related to improving the technical understanding of persons involved in the industrial refrigeration industry. • RETA books covering topics related to the industry are continually updated and improved. • RETA online training provides another way to study the art, science and magic that is refrigeration.

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• RETA certification program provides a tangible repeatable way to verify that a certain level of competence has been achieved. RETA’s training materials are constantly updated and improved to provide our members with the best resources available anywhere. These books are built on original works that date back well over 50 years and are periodically completely reviewed, updated, reworked and improved by a dedicated team of RETA members and RAI’s who volunteer countless hours to help provide technical knowledge.

Currently, the all new Industrial Refrigeration 1 and Industrial

Refrigeration 2 have been approved by the Board and are in the final stage of the review and revision process and should be available through the RETA bookstore and RETA online training website to all members within the next 30 days. Next up for review is the Basic Electricity 2 – Ladder Diagrams , PSM/RMP Compliance , and an all new Controls 2020 . If you want to help and provide your experience to make these titles the best they can possibly be, please contact: Vince Grindel, RETA Education Coordinator at vince@reta.com

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Where is my NH3 Going? M ost Nuisance Odors in our refrigeration process can be detected by smells reported to the process techs or managers by employees. Even the most seasoned “been working around this stuff for 50 years” folks can normally smell it at or before the NIOSH Short Term Exposure Limit (STEL) of 35 ppm. However, some of our employees may not have smelled ammonia before and can’t identify the odor of NH3, but may report that something “smelled bad and made their eyes water and cough”. We need to be aware of this, and investigate these as well.

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use Shift Logs that require the techs to write down system parameters during normal operation and not just check a box. Review these at least weekly, and look for trends that may indicate an issue that could be discovered and corrected before it gets worse. It’s normal to lose a little when you drain oil, and typically your purgers will burp out a little also, but these should be very small amounts and not cause a significant change to your inventory. 2 Test the pH of your condenser water, and any secondary coolants such as glycol, brine, etc. at least monthly. This can often detect a small leak in a condenser or chiller coil. NH3 is a very strong base, and even a 30% concentration in water raises the pH to 13.5 or higher. Glycol has a pretty strong odor, and can easily mask any ammonia odors that may be easier to detect in water. For those concerned about spending money, you can get reliable pH test kits at your local swimming pool supplies store. 3 Walk the roof! Always have your respiratory protection with you, and wear your other PPE including fall protection if needed! You could have a valve, fitting, weld, etc. that could have a small leak. This would also be a great opportunity to check your external piping for any damaged insulation and/or any signs of possible corrosion. Always use the buddy systemwhile on the roof, or at least a walkie-talkie to call for help if needed. As much as I love my cell phone, I am not going to depend on it to save my life! I hope that some of you NH3 Nerds (like me) find this helpful! If any other suggestions are out there, please send them out as comments. After all, we all share the common interest of keeping our NH3 inside the pipes where it belongs!

Most of these small leaks inside the facility can be found using a sulfur stick while wearing the proper PPE. But what happens if we see our intended operating inventory slowly dropping and we can’t smell anything and there have not been any nuisance odor reports? Here are a few suggestions (and I’m sure there are others out there) that may help find these mystery leaks: 1 Always keep an accurate inventory of your NH3! Not only is this a regulatory requirement, but it allows you to detect these small leaks much sooner. Design and

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T he last several months have turned our world upside down: close to 7 million confirmed cases of COVID-19; over 400,000 deaths worldwide; people being quarantined or sheltering in place; social distancing; non-essential businesses shut down; essential businesses operating with skeleton crews; essential businesses having to implement enhanced sanitation procedures, social distancing, PPE requirements, employee health screening; visitor restrictions; the list goes on and on and on.

PSM SAFETY & COMPLIANCE

CONSIDERATIONS IN THE AGE OF PANDEMICS By Bill Lape, SCS Engineers

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The distractions that occur because of all of this often cause us to forget some of our core safety programs, including process safety management (PSM) of our ammonia refrigeration systems. We are tempted to think that the immediate concerns with COVID-19 are a higher priority than our management of change, our hazard analyses, our system and equipment inspection testing and maintenance, and our operator training, to name just a few things. In reality, these safety programs that are part of a PSM program are just as important today, if not more so. With much of our workforce sidelined due to illness, or sheltering in place due to fear, and our ability to bring our refrigeration contractor on-site limited by our attempts to limit the spread of this virus, we may find ourselves attempting to operate and maintain our refrigeration

systemwith untrained, and therefore unqualified, employees. This is an accident waiting to happen. Attempting to protect employees from being exposed to this virus is admirable,

work. From a compliance standpoint, each employee before being involved in operating the ammonia refrigeration systemmust be trained on an overview of the refrigeration process and the operating procedures of the process are

valuing your employees must include protecting them from the hazards of working on an ammonia refrigeration system. This starts with proper training and instruction prior to performing such work.

and is in fact, necessary if you truly value your employees and recognize them as your most valuable asset. However, valuing your employees must include protecting them from the hazards of working on an ammonia refrigeration system. This starts with proper training and instruction prior to performing such

required by 29 CFR 1910.119(g)(1)(i) and 40 CFR Part 68.71(a). This training is required to include an emphasis on the specific safety and health hazards, which, in our industry, would be the hazards of ammonia, an emphasis on emergency operations including

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shutdown, and safe work practices applicable to the employee’s job tasks. Prior to COVID-19, new or inexperienced employees were often sent to a 4-5 day course to learn industrial refrigeration. As they gained experience, they might get sent to a second 4-5 day course to learn more advanced topics in industrial refrigeration, and, if they are eventually expected to begin working on maintaining the system, they might attend a third 4-5 day course. These courses are offered at several locations throughout the country and some companies take these course offerings around the country, bringing them closer to the end user. However, with the social distancing and travel restrictions in place, along with having to make due with fewer people to operate our facilities, this is no longer a viable option. So what is one to do? There are a few options available to the end user today. One option to train your employees in the age of COVID-19 is through on-line, or distance learning. Several companies

have implemented such training over the last several months. This gives companies the ability to have their employees attend training while they work from home or maintain social distancing, and still maintaining operations with available manpower that may be dramatically reduced. Some companies are also offering these courses using different schedules, such as five 6 hour days, versus the usual four 8 hour days. This provides more scheduling flexibility for the company, often allowing them to send more

employees, providing that they maintain social distancing, of course. So what should you look for in an on-line training? First, does the course include ammonia safety and health hazards? Does the course include emergency operations and shutdown? Does the course include safe work practices? Second, as you would do with a face to face training course, look at the qualifications of the instructor. Third, does the company conducting the training offer flexibility of scheduling and topics included in the training?

Some companies will tailor class curriculums and schedules specifically to meet a client’s needs. This is, in fact, vitally important, because training of your employees must include training on YOUR ammonia refrigeration system.

employees through the course. The on-line format also allows for employees to attend the training from home, if they are sheltering in place, or from their facility conference roomwith other

Some companies will tailor class curriculums and schedules specifically to meet a client’s needs. This is, in fact, vitally important, because training of

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your employees must include training on YOUR ammonia refrigeration system. While you may have to perform some hands-on training and evaluation for your employees yourself, does the company conducting the on-line training offer support in this effort by building system specific discussions into the class? Fourth, how does the company promote student engagement through the on-line class delivery platform? If the class is held as if it were a webinar with no opportunity to verbally ask questions, limiting the students to typing their questions into a chat box, then engagement levels will be low. Does the company encourage the use of web cameras to foster engagement? As an instructor, I can tell you that I ammuch more comfortable conducting a class when I can see the students’ reactions to what I am saying. I believe that this is a two way street and that students need to see my reactions as well. Fifth, what resources does the company provide as part of the class? Are course materials sent to you directly or are you expected to print files that were emailed to you? Finally, how does the instructor measure understanding? Will there be a final exam? If so, how is it administered? Are there practice exams? Are the questions of the practice exams reviewed? Another thing to bear in mind is that 29 CFR 1910.119(g)(2) and 40 CFR Part 68.71(b) require that refresher training on the topics required must be performed at least every three years.

On-line training can be a good way to provide such refresher training in a timely fashion during this pandemic. This will help you to keep your employee’s safe andmaintain compliance for your PSM/RMP programs. While on-line training will never be a complete substitute for live, face-to- face training and instruction, in the age of pandemics and the associated struggles that we face, it is a viable option to provide the training that is necessary to ensure that your employees are qualified to operate and maintain your ammonia refrigeration system safely. Bill Lape is Project Director for SCS Engineers. Bill is a Certified Industrial Refrigeration Operator, a Certified Refrigeration Service Technician, and a member of the National Board of Directors of the Refrigerating Engineers and Technicians Association. He is also a certified Process Safety Management Professional through the University of Wisconsin.

ONE OPTION TO TRAIN YOUR EMPLOYEES IN THE AGE OF COVID-19 IS THROUGH ON-LINE. SO WHAT SHOULD YOU LOOK FOR IN AN ON-LINE TRAINING?

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RETA Training Institute I n October of 2019, during the RETA Conference in Las Vegas, the RETA-Training Institute (RETA‐TI) was announced during the opening business session. This new 501(c)(3) was created by the RETA Board to address the critical issues of workforce development and education that surround the industrial refrigeration industry.

Drawing from existing resources and concepts, the President of the RETA-Training Institute Board of Directors is current RETA National Board of Directors Executive Vice President Eric Teale, of Danfoss. Jim Barron is acting as Executive Director. As the small Board came together, it was important to recognize and draw from specific areas thus there is a cross section of volunteers. Keith Harper of Tyson Foods, Werner Paulus of RD & S and an USMC Veteran, and Melissa Cassell of General Refrigeration Company compose the remainder of the Board. Together, the group has met to create and support the initial structure, programs, goals, mission and vision. A great deal has been accomplished in a short time, and there is so much more to be done going forward.

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The RETA‐Training Institute currently has three primary programs aimed at focusing on veterans, transitioning service members, college students, high school students, women, and others to safely engage, train, and contribute to the industrial refrigeration industry. RETA‐TI will create educational opportunities to certify program participants and assist with placement into the industry. RETA‐TI will ensure that our program participants develop the skills and sound knowledge of industrial refrigeration and the core competencies essential for success and leadership in the growing workforce. RETA‐TI program participants will also generate practical and theoretical knowledge to better understand the growing and changing world of industrial refrigeration. RETA-TI is beginning with three programs, REDWHITEandCOOL , Women in Natural Refrigeration (WiNR) and Youth andYoung Adults (YAYA) . RETA-TI hopes to expand programmatically, as things gain traction, results and funding.

Bridge Program. The program is a 4‐ week initiative that will recruit, train, and hire transitioning military personnel on military installations around the continental United States and overseas. At the end of the training, cohort participants will be administered the ANSI Certified CARO exam. (ANSI is the American National Standards Institute and certifies the CARO – Certified Ammonia Refrigeration Operator exam to be the accepted industry standard.) RETA-TI is proud to announce that the first two FOUNDING sponsors of the REDWHITEandCOOL program are SMITHFIELD FOODS and T YSON FOODS . Smithfield Foods has committed to sponsoring the first cohort of this program and has been instrumental in helping to shape the program. They feel that partnering with RETA-TI is a natural fit to bring veterans into skilled-trade jobs within their company and within our industry. REDWHITEandCOOL , was ready to launch on March 23rd at Joint Base Langley-Ft. Eustis in Virginia with 12 participants. However, it has been postponed for now due to the Coronavirus pandemic. RETA‐Training Institute will also work with and be a resource for many different organizations dedicated to finding jobs in this industry for transitioning military, veterans, spouses and family members. Examples of these organizations include Hiring our Heroes‐ US Chamber of Commerce, MOAA (Military Officers Association), AUSA (the Association of the United States Army), and Pathfinders (a program within the USO.)

RETA-TI’s Vision: To be the recognized source for recruiting, by facilitating training, credentialing, and promoting workforce development diversity for the industrial refrigeration industry. RETA-TI’s Mission: To promote and expand the industrial refrigeration workforce through professional development and education of individuals interested in beginning a career in the industrial refrigeration industry. RETA-TI beginning programs: • REDWHITEandCOOL, • Women in Natural Refrigeration (WiNR) • Youth and Young Adults (YAYA).

REDWHITEandCOOL, is a nationally recognized Career Skills Program (CSP) approved by the Department of Defense and the United States Skill

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How can you get involved? As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational foundation, the RETA-TI programs are made possible through philanthropic financial support. The reason this Institute is different is that its only mission is to address the critical need for skilled workers within the natural refrigeration industry. For more information on how you and your company can support and benefit from these initiatives, please contact redwhiteandcool@reta.com.

turned her passion of comedy into a way of supporting veterans in healing “through laughter.” What a fitting opportunity to welcome this veteran and share similar challenges in a lighthearted and encouraging way! RETA-TI is looking for sponsors for this event, and thanks to the first two sponsors, RMP Corporation and PSM RMP . THANK YOU! This reception is open to everyone, however there is an additional charge of $15 to attend. For more information on how to sponsor this event or to register to attend, please contact conference@ reta.com.

Women in Natural Refrigeration (WiNR) is a program dedicated to improving the careers of women in a historically underrepresented workforce sector in natural refrigeration, engineering, and skilled trades. This programwill encourage and highlight individuals to succeed through networking, mentoring, and education.

This coming October at the RETA Conference in Orlando, there will be a WiNR Reception on Monday evening October 26th. RETA-TI is thrilled to host this event and will have a very special guest in Comedian Robin Phoenix.

WiNR has held two organized events during the last RETA Conferences with great success. These events were an opportunity to network, share experiences, and to give each other support and encouragement as these WiNR’s navigate an industry to which they are an integral part. It is also a time to recognize and applaud leadership and newcomers. This coming October at the RETA Conference in Orlando, there will be a WiNR Reception on Monday evening October 26th. RETA-TI is thrilled to host this event and will have a very special guest in Comedian Robin Phoenix. Robin is a recently retired Army Colonel, who helped navigate the Department of Defense bureaucracy in the establishment of the REDWHITEandCOOL program, and has

The Youth andYoung Adults (YaYA) program is focused on promoting and advocating for the industrial refrigeration operator and technician professions through collaborative alliances with public- private partnerships between school systems/ trade schools and the industry. The premise is to highlight and encourage positive and promising careers in the industrial refrigeration industry.

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What’s Lurking Behind Your Doors?

◊ Protect your personnel from entering potentially dangerous areas ◊ Check gas concentrations before entering a room ◊ Large 3” diagonal LCD display operates down to -40°F ◊ Watertight IP68 enclosure for washdown areas or outdoors ◊ Electronics are potted to protect against water damage and corrosion ◊ Industry standard linear 4/20 mA input and output ◊ Use with a CTI sensor or any other 4/20 mA device ◊ Available as a 24VDC feed-through or a 120VAC stand-alone device ◊ Onboard 8A relay with adjustable alarm setpoint ◊ In stock and ready for same-day shipping ◊ 2-year warranty ◊ Quick and easy online quotes

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RETA TESTING CORNER NO. 19 VERSION 1

RETA’s Testing and ANSI Guru

Dr. Ron Rodgers, RETA’s Psychometrician (testing expert) and ANSI Accreditation Manager, has guided development of all RETA credentialing exams since 2002. RETA Testing Corner provides information and answers questions from RETA members, candidates and others to help them earn and benefit from RETA credentials.

CARO and CIRO ANSI accreditation was extended to March 2021 in June by the ANSI National Accrediting Board (ANAB) as a result of ANSI’s annual assessment process. RETA continues to provide the only internationally recognized certifications for industrial refrigeration system operators and technicians. RETA was just the 20th credentialing body (CB) in the world to meet the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) 17024 Standards when CARO

ANSI 17024 Standards. Preparations included the following key steps. • Development and validation of new CARO and CIRO exams • Expiration or recertification of all RETA credentials every three years • Creation of a firewall between the RETA Education and Certification Committees • Transfer of all RETA credentialing

accreditation. Current CARO and CIRO exams now reflect results from RETA industry surveys in 2017 and 2019, respectively. RETA added its most recent credential, Certified Refrigeration Service Technician (CRST), in 2018. RETA will apply for ANSI accreditation of CRST after data is available to document that CRST meets ANSI Standards. ANSI accreditation also requires annual reports and periodic visits to RETA by ANSI assessors. A new application requires redocumenting that each program meets ANSI 17024 Standards every five years. RETA’s next five-year application will be due in 2023. RETA also must document that it meets ANSI Standards in annual reports and in January led to further refinements in its Management Review System, which includes an annual internal audit and regular meetings to track improvements in RETA exams and credentialing practices. RETA received notice in April 2020 that CARO and CIRO accreditations would be extended to March 2021. responses to ANSI assessors. RETA’s 2019 Annual Report in

from paper exams to computer delivery to improve test security

RETA continues to provide the only internationally recognized certifications for industrial refrigeration system operators and technicians.

and CIRO were accredited in March 2008. Currently 207 programs from 72 CBs are accredited by ANSI. Another 20 CBs have voluntarily surrendered ANSI accreditation, including Microsoft and NATE, due to the challenges of maintaining ANSI 17024 Standards. ASHRAE also has four ANSI-accredited credentials, but none in industrial refrigeration. RETA started its ANSI journey in 2002, a few months after creation of

and administrative controls • Refinement of RETA policies and procedures to meet all ANSI 17024 Standards RETA invested five years in refining CARO and CIRO to meet ANSI Standards before applying for ANSI accreditation in 2007. Periodic surveys of industrial refrigeration practices must document knowledge and job performance requirements to maintain

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Remote proctoring cannot begin until ANSI assessors concur that these test security requirements will be met. Once approved by ANSI, RETA will begin a six-month trial to document the results of remotely proctored exams to those in on-site proctored test centers. RETA will notify all certification candidates and members about these requirements after ANSI authorizes remote proctoring for RETA examinations. We welcome your questions about RETA’s credentialing exams and activities. Send your questions by email to certification@reta.com.

RETA Testing Corner Number 19 RETA currently is working with its test delivery vendor to achieve ANSI approval to allow remotely proctored testing using a candidate’s computer and a webcam. Over 80% of RETA test centers closed temporarily this spring due to COVID-19. ANSI requires that remote proctoring maintains the same level of test security that is necessary for exams given in onsite-proctored test centers.

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offering proven products for a truly integrated system the optimal cold service system

Polyguard supplies Dow® Styrofoam™ pipe insulation to the refrigeration market completing the Optimal old Service System. Major food producers in North America, who have been long-time users of Polyguard’s ReactiveGel® corrosion preventer in combination with Polyguard’s ZeroPerm® vapor barriers can now specify an entire insulation system to minimize downtime and extend the productive life of their low temp pipe installations. The optimal Cold Service System starts with RG-2400® gel on the pipe to prevent corrosion. Dow® Styrofoam™ insulation provides long-term stable R values and is the preferred product for low temp applications. Cover the insulation with either Polyguard’s ZeroPerm® or Insulrap™ vapor retarders to keep the insulation dry and then complete the system with Polyguard’s Alumaguard® family of flexible weatherproof cladding products. Polyguard can offer a truly integrated system that offers peace of mind and components that have been time-tested in the marketplace.

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Innovation based. Employee owned. Expect more.

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CERTIFICATION

Honor Roll Congratulations to our newly RETA Certified Operators, who passed the exam(s) between March 1, 2020 to April 30, 2020. For information about the examination process and preparation to take the RETA exam, please visit RETA.com.

CARO - Certified Assistant Refrigeration Operator Luis Soto

CIRO - Certified Industrial Refrigeration Operator

CRST - Certified Refrigeration Service Technician Lance Barker Kory Johnston CRES - Certified Refrigeration Energy Specialist Thomas R. Walker

JeffW. Hensley Rosario Ruelas Jason Colyn Joseph Barrett Andrew M. Castongia Shawn Freeman Michael Davis Schiler Wertman Scot Hull Jason Shea Hugh Hogan Steven Maginity

Chris Todechiney Isaac P. Cardona Garrett Fanning Martin H. Collette Kwasi Malvoux

Robert L. Longobardi Robert L. Craven Jr. Pedro A. Meza IV Robert Prickett Ricky Perry Mario Garcia-Cortes Matthew T. Peterson

RAI – RETA Authorized Instructor Jeremy Williams

Risk Management & Air Compliance

Ammonia Detection SystemCalibration OSHA Process SafetyManagement Operator I, II &PSM/RMP Training EPA RiskManagement Programs Mechanical Integrity Inspections

SCS Tracer Environmental Division

Compliance&Safety Audits StormWater &Spill Plans Compliance Tracking

Air Permitting SCSeTools®

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