Online Industrial Training – Garden City Ammonia Program

“It was another day like any other in 2020.  Woke up and got myself ready for another grave yard shift. Before leaving for work I was in the same old routine of watching the evening news/politics while packing my lunch.  I arrived to work and went through the normal screening of COVID-19, got clocked in and the shift has begun.

After shift changeover, I did my nightly routine of walkthrough and readings before required PMs.  After about three hours in I was sitting in the control room monitoring the system.  An ammonia alarm starting going off and it signaled that sensor number 2 was pegged out at 100 PPM.  I verified exhaust fans running on the controls and proceeded out of the control room with respirator at hand.  As the door shut, I could hear the compressor continuously running and could see that the exhaust vent intake louvers were open.  I started to cautiously walk towards the fresh air intake that was leading to vicinity of ammonia sensor number 2.

Once arriving to the area of concern, I never smelled any ammonia since leaving the control room.  I said to myself, another false alarm and headed back to my control station.  Arriving at the control station I can now see that sensor 4 is maxed out and sensor 1 is now reading 55 PPM.  There was a lot of chatter on the radio and my co-worker says he is on his way for support.  I said I would be in the control room clearing the alarms.  When he walked in to the control room, he was in full face respirator and I could see the look within his eyes.  He stated, what are you doing?  I tried to explain the situation.  He grabbed the sulfur sticks and progressed back into the engine room.  As I followed my co worker my eyes began to water, and then there it was, the invisible wall and I got quite choked up.  I just then realized there was an ammonia leak ongoing, it was not a false alarm, and I can’t smell it!  My entire career, the sense of smell has helped know when there might even be the slightest of leak and this tool was not working.  My mind had a hard time believing that this was true and how could this be.  I took a quick drench of water to help catch my breath, the experience was so surreal.

The leak source was identified and my coworker had isolated it.  We left the engine room and let the exhaust fan finish its job while monitory the ammonia sensors. We then went to discus the situation at hand.   It was apparent that I had lost my smell.  He then told me to eat something, I did and I could not taste it either.  I was suggested to go get tested and it came back positive for COVID-19.  Well I am now done with quarantine.  Smell and taste are still not back to 100% but as an ammonia mechanic, I will never take for granted again how effective the nose is for first line of defense of ammonia leaks. I have had much time to ponder this now and many lessons have been learned”

-Anonymous