Ammonia Refrigeration

Many food processing plants, cold storage warehouses and ice rinks use anhydrous ammonia for refrigeration. It’s efficient, but a leak releases a toxic, corrosive gas that can blind, burn the lungs and kill.

• General Industry
• Food & Cold Storage

Hazards

• Severe burns to the eyes, skin and lungs
• Frostbite from liquid ammonia
• Flammable at high concentrations in enclosed spaces
• Pressure releases during maintenance

Requirements

• Larger systems (over 10,000 pounds of ammonia) fall under OSHA’s Process Safety Management standard. See PSM.
• Emergency action plans, ammonia detection and alarms in machinery rooms.
• Only trained workers open lines or perform maintenance, following lockout and line-break procedures.

If there’s a leak

• Leave the area immediately when the alarm sounds or you smell ammonia. Move upwind and uphill.
• Don’t try to stop a leak unless you are a trained responder with the right respirator and suit.
• Flush exposed eyes and skin with water for at least 15 minutes. See Eyewash.
• Report to the muster point and get medical help.

Last updated: October 1, 2026