Grimmway honored for preparation
| Tuesday, Mar 31 2009 03:58 PM
Last Updated Tuesday, Mar 31 2009 03:58 PM
Grimmway Farms received the Kern County Department of Environmental Health Director's Award on Tuesday for going beyond minimum requirements to protect employees and the public from hazardous materials.
Grimmway, the world's largest carrot producer, holds 22 county permits for hazardous materials handled at nine local facilities. The materials include ammonia and chlorine gas, chemicals commonly used at produce refrigeration and packing houses.
Environmental Health Director Matt Constantine said Grimmway has implemented a state-of-the-art emergency response program at its facilities and has trained more than 80 staff members to respond to hazardous materials emergencies. The company has also assisted in training other local companies and has helped the county develop a new hazardous materials inspection program. The program would increase inspections at facilities with higher amounts of dangerous chemicals but also give a break to those facilities that have good compliance history and emergency response resources that go beyond basic requirements.
In addition, Grimmway has partnered with the Lamont School District and the surrounding community to conduct simulated emergency response exercises to maximize preparation in the event of an accident.
