1. Keeping Your Employees, Equipment, Spirits and Business Safe
Lessons Learned
Keeping Your Employees, Equipment, Spirits and Business Safe
John McGree – PayneWest Insurance
Mike Delaney – Cincinnati Insurance
John McKee – Headframe Spirits
Mike Sherman – Vendome Copper & Brass Works
Kevin Getz – Cincinnati Insurance Co.

2. Distillery Incidents
While catastrophic distillery accidents are infrequent, most could have been avoided entirely or the damage minimized had certain precautions been taken
While the causes of some of these may vary the results are too common

3. Common hazards in distilling operations
Combustible dust Electricity / static electricity Combustible vapor Storage/aging of flammable liquids Multiple ignition sources Chemicals

4. Combustible dust Keep accumulations at a minimum
Maintain proper ventilation
Make sure conveyance equipment is properly grounded
keep area separate from ignition sources
Use ESD Safe (electrostatic discharge) equipment

5. Electricity / Static Electricity
Proper grounding of equipment – particularly the mill area and augers that carry grain
Eliminate use of extension cords
Keep electrical panel area clear and doors closed
Consider thermography scan

6. Ignition sources / combustibility
Open flame
Welding
Lightning
Static
Arcing
Escaping vapor
Use of air monitors in poorly ventilated areas or in still room

7. Protecting your investment and livelihood
There are many considerations when surveying a distillery. Not only are there exposures which will threaten the physical property but more importantly exposures which can affect your employees and invited guests.

8. Property protection
A loss control survey will likely address the real property, your business personal property including stock and inventory as well as the potential for loss of business income.
Sprinkler protection
Housekeeping
Proper storage of chemicals and flammables
Existence of portable extinguishers
Separation of operations
Protective devices (alarms, containment, ventilation, etc)
Redundancy of operations
Aggregation of values (particularly stock)

9. Life safety
Protecting employees and invited guests should be a top priority.
Provide employees with PPE (personal protective equipment)
Rubber gloves
Eye protection
Hearing protection
Chemical aprons
Rubber boots
Considerations for invited guests
Designated tour route
Appropriate footwear – no open toed shoes or heels
Keep groups to a manageable size
No access to critical areas

10. Safety plan
Due to the nature of the operation a safety plan should be present and practiced by all employees
The plan should include the following items:
Identify critical areas
Lock out/tag out
Use of personal protection
Evacuation plan
Spill containment plan
Signage
Fall protection

11. Claims examples
Tank Collapse

12. Claims examples
Tank Collapse

13. Claims Examples Slip and fall during tour Explosion and fire
Burns from hot liquid
Various weather related claims (ie. wind)
Mechanical failure

14. Questions