Items Tagged with 'Process safety management'

Washington – Thomas M. Galassi, director of OSHA’s Directorate of Enforcement Programs, on May 11 sent a memorandum to regional administrators regarding the Process Safety Management Standard’s recognized and generally accepted good engineering practices requirements, also known as RAGAGEP.

Torrance, CA – A series of process safety management deficiencies preceded an explosion that injured two workers at an ExxonMobil refinery in Southern California in February 2015, according to an investigation by the Chemical Safety Board.

Washington – OSHA administrator David Michaels appeared before a House subcommittee on Oct. 7 to push for increased OSHA funding and updated laws, and found himself fending off accusations that the agency altered rules without public input.

The federal government, including OSHA, has updated its progress on improving chemical facility safety. For its part, OSHA has taken several steps to update its Process Safety Management Standard.

Washington – OSHA has adopted a chemical concentration test similar to that of the Environmental Protection Agency to determine whether a chemical is at or above the threshold quantity listed under the Process Safety Management Standard.

Washington – The Chemical Facility Safety and Security Working Group on June 9 published an update on actions taken to comply with a 2013 Executive Order on improving chemical facility safety and security.

Washington – On the 30th anniversary of an industrial toxic gas release that killed tens of thousands of people in India, the Chemical Safety Board called on the United States to reform state and federal regulations to reduce the risk of other disasters occurring.

West, TX – The 2013 deadly explosion at a fertilizer plant in West, TX, was preventable and occurred because the company and federal, state and local agencies failed to identify and correct hazards, Chemical Safety Board Chair Rafael Moure-Eraso said April 22.

Washington – Although several stakeholders have voiced support for OSHA’s efforts to improve its Process Safety Management Standard, some industry associations are urging the agency to maintain current, specific exemptions.