Ammonia refrigeration plays an important role in many food production, processing and cold-storage operations. It can be an effective industrial refrigeration solution, but it also presents hazards that require appropriate engineering controls, competent personnel and well-planned emergency arrangements. Ammonia safety in Ireland requires careful consideration of workplace hazards, engineering controls, employee competence and emergency preparedness.
A recent industrial incident in the United States highlights the importance of effective ammonia risk management, and an opportunity to review existing procedures.
On 25 October 2026, a fire occurred at a seafood processing facility in Newport, Oregon. The fire originated in the freezer/cold storage section of the Pacific Seafood operation. Firefighters encountered an extensive fire with significant smoke production and partial structural collapse.The presence of large ammonia refrigeration tanks complicated firefighting operations. Authorities initially feared that heat exposure, falling structural elements or damage to refrigeration equipment could result in an ammonia release.
The fire ultimately destroyed an approximately 11,000-square-foot (1,022 m²) cold storage building, prompted a large-scale evacuation and raised serious concerns about the potential release of anhydrous ammonia from the facility’s refrigeration system.
The incident highlights how an emergency at an industrial facility can require significant coordination between site management, employees and emergency responders and provides a timely opportunity for Irish businesses using ammonia refrigeration to review their own safety arrangements.
The key question is whether the right controls, expertise and procedures are in place to manage an ammonia-related emergency.
Key Takeaways
- Understand the hazards: Ammonia refrigeration systems can present serious risks to employees, contractors and surrounding areas if not appropriately managed.
- Assess the risks: Site-specific risk assessments should consider normal operations, maintenance, equipment failures and foreseeable emergencies.
- Maintain safety-critical equipment: Inspection, maintenance, gas detection and emergency isolation arrangements are important safeguards where applicable.
- Prepare your workforce: Employees need appropriate training and clear instructions for responding to suspected ammonia releases.
- Test your emergency arrangements: Regular exercises and management reviews help identify weaknesses before an incident occurs.
Understanding the risks of ammonia
Ammonia is used as a refrigerant in some large-scale refrigeration systems, including those serving food manufacturers, meat and seafood processors, dairies, breweries and cold-storage facilities.
Anhydrous ammonia is a colourless gas with a strong, pungent odour. A release from a pressurised refrigeration system can present significant risks, depending on the quantity released, exposure levels, ventilation and surrounding conditions.
The principal hazards include:
- Inhalation: Exposure can irritate and damage the eyes and respiratory system. Severe exposure can cause serious lung injury and may be life-threatening.
- Skin and eye contact: Ammonia can cause corrosive injuries and chemical burns, particularly when liquid ammonia comes into contact with tissue.
- Equipment failure: Leaks may arise from damaged pipework, valves, seals or other system components.
- Fire and other emergencies: A fire or loss of essential services can complicate the safe management of refrigeration equipment. Ammonia can also present a flammability hazard under certain conditions.
- Operational disruption: An incident may affect production, refrigeration capacity, stored products, deliveries and business continuity.
Odour should never be relied upon to determine whether an area is safe. The ability to detect ammonia varies, and reduced sensitivity can occur during continued exposure.
Why this matters for Irish food and industrial sites
For Irish food businesses, refrigeration is often essential to production, storage conditions and product quality. An incident can therefore have consequences beyond the immediate plant room, potentially affecting employees, contractors, visitors, neighbouring businesses and the surrounding community.
Effective ammonia safety requires more than maintaining refrigeration equipment. It involves understanding the hazards, identifying appropriate controls, ensuring workforce competence and preparing for foreseeable emergencies.
Five priorities for effective ammonia safety
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Maintain a suitable risk assessment
Sites should have a current, site-specific assessment of the hazards associated with their ammonia refrigeration systems and related activities.
This should consider normal operations, maintenance, foreseeable equipment failures, occupied areas, contractor activities and potential effects beyond the immediate plant room.
The assessment should reflect the actual system and be reviewed when significant changes occur or when inspections, incidents and exercises identify a need for improvement.
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Ensure effective inspection and maintenance
Preventive maintenance and competent technical inspections are important safeguards.
Depending on the system, relevant controls may include gas detection, alarms, ventilation, emergency isolation arrangements, pressure-relief devices and protection against physical damage.
Defects should be reported, assessed and addressed appropriately. Safety-critical equipment should be inspected and tested at suitable intervals, with records maintained.
The necessary controls and inspection frequencies should be determined by competent specialists, taking account of the system design, risk assessment and applicable requirements.
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Prepare employees for emergencies
Employees need to know how to raise the alarm, evacuate when instructed, reach designated assembly points and report missing persons.
Emergency arrangements should address visitors and contractors, access restrictions, communication with emergency services and the information responders may need about the refrigeration system.
Untrained employees should not be expected to investigate a suspected ammonia leak, enter a potentially contaminated area or attempt an isolation where doing so could expose them to danger. Specialist emergency response may be required.
The appropriate protective action will depend on the circumstances and the site’s emergency arrangements, including instructions from emergency services.
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Provide role-appropriate training
Training should reflect the responsibilities and exposure risks of different groups.
Employees working near refrigeration plant need to understand relevant hazards, alarm procedures and reporting arrangements. Maintenance personnel and refrigeration technicians require appropriate technical competence for their work.
Supervisors and managers should understand their responsibilities for emergency coordination, contractor controls and operational decisions.
Training should include suitable site induction, refresher instruction, contractor awareness and practical emergency exercises. Training records and identified development needs should be reviewed regularly.
General safety training does not replace specialist competence in refrigeration engineering or hazardous-atmosphere response.
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Test procedures and review performance
Written procedures should be tested through exercises appropriate to the site’s risk profile.
An exercise might examine how a suspected leak is reported, how the alarm is raised, whether evacuation arrangements are understood and how information would be provided to emergency responders.
Following an exercise or incident, management should record lessons learned, assign corrective actions and monitor completion.
Regular management reviews should also consider outstanding maintenance issues, safety-critical testing, training records, contractor arrangements and changes to plant or operations.
How Occupli can support your organisation
Managing ammonia-related risk requires a combination of technical expertise, practical training and effective health and safety management.
Occupli supports organisations in strengthening workplace safety arrangements through relevant consultancy, risk management, training and competency development services.
Depending on the facility’s needs, this may include reviewing relevant risk assessments and emergency procedures, identifying workforce training needs, strengthening contractor arrangements and improving emergency preparedness.
Specialist refrigeration engineering, system integrity assessments and ammonia leak response should be undertaken by appropriately qualified and competent providers. Health and safety consultancy and training should complement, rather than replace, these technical responsibilities.
Prepare before an incident occurs
The Newport seafood plant incident is a reminder that industrial emergencies can have implications beyond the equipment involved. Effective preparation helps organisations understand their risks, clarify responsibilities and establish practical arrangements for responding to unexpected events.
For Irish food manufacturers, cold-storage operators and other industrial businesses, the priority is to ensure that engineering controls, competent people, appropriate training and emergency procedures work together.
Effective ammonia safety is not just about having a procedure on a shelf. It is about having the right controls, the right expertise and a workforce that knows what to do when it matters.
Talk to Occupli about strengthening your organisation’s health and safety risk management, workforce training and emergency preparedness.
This article provides general information for awareness purposes. It is not a site-specific risk assessment, engineering assessment or legal opinion. Appropriate controls and training should be determined by competent persons in light of the particular system, site conditions and applicable requirements.
Further information: Health and Safety Authority (Ireland) | US Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry — Ammonia Medical Management Guidelines
