From: Duke, Robert

Sent: Friday, March 27, 2009 4:27 PM

To: Hoefert, Lee; Vincent, Jeremy; Tampas, Patricia

Cc: Anderson, Lennon

Subject: FW: Air Emissions Release at the Cemex / East Fort Pierce Concrete Facility

Lee, I would suggest that Jeremy and or Patricia , include this with the report including pictures etc. I will also add a page as to my actions and findings in this matter. I would think that this incident along with the package you already have regarding Cemex problems at this facility would  lead to some sort of enforcement action. Bob

From: Porter, Jeffrey R. [mailto:JRPorter@cemexusa.com]
Sent: Friday, March 27, 2009 3:47 PM
To: Duke, Robert
Cc: Myers, Michael; Fanning, Geoffrey M.; Dutkin, John; Manolas, Monica; Corrales, Denise L; Fagan, Patrick J.; Brennen, Barry S.
Subject: Air Emissions Release at the Cemex / East Fort Pierce Concrete Facility

Good Afternoon, Mr. Duke,

This message is being sent to provide information about an inadvertent dust release at our concrete facility in downtown Fort Pierce.  The site's air facility number is 1110007 and its street address is "514 South Third Street, Fort Pierce, FL  34950."

Earlier this morning, between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. the plant's main cement silo release a burst of cement dust into the air while it was being pumped full by a cement tanker truck.  Initially the cause wasn't clear, but once the release was observed, the tanker driver was prevented from completing his delivery and the remainder of the load was sent elsewhere.

The release did drift onto adjacent property, including that of the nearby Select Autos dealership belonging to John Dickens (although, due to prevailing winds, affected the rear of that site, rather than the entire parcel).  Cemex operations personnel, led by Area Operations Manager, Michael Myers, quickly went to that business and offered to assist in controlling and cleaning up the effects of the release.  This was accomplished by blowing the cement off the vehicles with a portable compressor and wetting down the pavement of the dealership to keep material on the ground from becoming airborne again.  Mr. Dickens arrived at the site during the cleanup efforts and proved to be exceptionally understanding of the situation.  He was informed that Cemex would foot the bill to have his vehicles cleaned, along with the cost to clean the awning on the back of his business, which was nearest the affected area.

When our operations people inspected the plant to try to identify the source of the problem, they found several surprising items.  The silo was equipped with "pinch-valves," which are one of the more effective devices for preventing silo overfills.  However, one of the wires in a nearby electrical control box that controlled the pinch valves had been disconnected.  Several other wires in the same box were loose.  The result was that the pinch-valves had been rendered inoperable.  In addition, the air regulator valve on the silo filling system had been turned down, which also negatively affects the system's operation.  Finally, the silo's visual and audible overfill alarms were working normally, although the tanker driver appeared not to notice them, until told to stop his delivery.  The driver stated that he stopped his delivery when the alarms came on, but this appears questionable, since it was an overfilling of the silo that caused the discharge.  This item will be discussed with the cement terminal that filled the tanker, since only they have direct authority over the driver.

Our corrective actions to help prevent a similar violation in the future are as follows:

1.    Install locks on the external electrical control boxes to prevent the pinch-valve control wires from being sabotaged.  These locks will be checked by the site's operations foreman on a regular basis to make sure that attempts are not made to force them open.

2.    The air regulator valve will be either positioned out of reach or will have a similar lock placed on it to keep it from being improperly adjusted during a cement delivery.

While this was a very unfortunate event, I'd like to commend Cemex's operations staff for dealing with the problem quickly and efficiently, as well as notifying me immediately of the situation.  I believe their efforts will go a long way in preventing a similar mishap in the future.

Best Regards,

Jeffrey R. Porter

Environmental Manager

Southeast Florida Materials Division

CEMEX

E-Mail:  JRPorter@Cemexusa.com

Office:  (561) 820-8415

Mobile:  (561) 718-7564

Fax:  (561) 820-8643

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