OSHA seeking public comment on updating PSM standard

Washington – OSHA on Dec. 3 announced a request for information regarding potential changes to its Process Safety Management Standard and related enforcement policies.

The RFI is in response to President Barack Obama’s executive order calling on OSHA and other agencies to help improve chemical safety following the April 2013 fertilizer plant explosion in West, TX. OSHA’s RFI announcement comes almost a month after the agency sent a prerule-stage draft of the revised PSM standard to the Office of Management and Budget for review.

In addition to updating its PSM standard, OSHA is seeking to possibly update its Explosives and Blasting Agents, Flammable Liquids and Spray Finishing standards.

At press time, the RFI had not yet been published in the Federal Register. Comments will be due 90 days after the publication date.