R01
Ammonia refrigeration
Chillers and cold storage run on ammonia, and a release affects the whole processing area, not only the plant room. I cover detection, the emergency response and what people working nearby are expected to do when it alarms.
All sectors
Sector 03 · Juice Manufacturing
Ammonia, caustic and confined spaces on a food-grade site.
A juice plant runs refrigeration, cleaning chemicals, pressure and pedestrian traffic through the same building, on a floor that also has to meet food safety requirements. The WHS controls and the food safety controls cover a lot of the same equipment. I work through both so they hold together.
R02
CIP: caustic and acid
Clean in place systems move hot caustic and acid through lines that people later open and service. I set the isolation, lockout and verification steps so a line is proven dead before anyone breaks into it.
R03
Pressure and steam lines
Pasteurisers, steam and hot water lines carry burn and release risk. I check guarding, pressure relief and the permit system covering work on those lines.
R04
Confined space entry
Tanks, vessels and pits become confined spaces the moment someone climbs in. I put entry permits, atmospheric testing and a rescue plan around them, including after CIP when residual chemical and vapour are still present.
R05
Traffic and noise on the floor
Pallets move between production, cold store and dispatch through areas people walk. I set the routes, the separation and the load handling. Sustained noise across the floor gets its own monitoring and hearing protection.
R06
Food safety and WHS overlap
The two systems cover much of the same ground and usually sit in different folders. I line up the chemical registers, the cleaning procedures and the competency records so one set of controls serves both.
Common questions
Questions I get asked
- What are the main WHS risks in juice manufacturing?
- Ammonia refrigeration, hot caustic and acid moving through clean in place systems, steam and pressure lines, confined space entry into tanks and vessels, and forklift traffic through areas people walk. Noise runs across most of the floor.
- What has to be in place for ammonia refrigeration?
- Detection, an emergency procedure people have walked through, and clear instructions for everyone working near the plant room rather than only the refrigeration technician. The plant itself needs a documented inspection and maintenance regime.
- How do I stop someone opening a CIP line that is still live?
- Isolation, lockout, and a verification step that proves the line is dead before it is opened. The verification is the part most often missing. It needs a written procedure, physical locks, and a check by the person doing the work.
- Do food safety and WHS controls overlap?
- They overlap heavily, across the same chemicals, the same equipment and the same cleaning tasks. They usually sit in separate folders with separate owners. I line the two up so the chemical register, the cleaning procedures and the records serve both.
- When does a tank count as a confined space?
- From the moment someone has to get inside it. After a CIP run, residual chemical and vapour can still be present, so entry needs a permit, atmospheric testing and a rescue plan even when the tank looks empty.
Lining the two systems up
Where the two systems meet
A juice plant already runs a food safety system with its own records and audits. The WHS controls sit on the same equipment and the same chemicals. I work through them together, so the chemical register, the cleaning procedures and the isolation steps stand up to either audit.