Latest Developments…

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has begun working on a compliance directive covering process safety management of the hazards posed by reactive chemicals. The agency considers such hazards a serious problem. The directive likely will address immediate hazards but also regulatory activity. OSHA’s action follows the Sept. 15 release of a final report by the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board on a 2007 industrial explosion that killed four people. The report concluded the accident was caused by management's failure to recognize all potential hazards of the company's process for making a gasoline additive. There is concern the process safety management standard does not adequately address the hazards of reactive chemicals. CSB recommended OSHA expand the PSM standard to regulate reactive hazards. Democratic leaders from the House Education and Labor Committee then asked OSHA to initiate such a rulemaking.

OSHA recently expanded its national emphasis program on enforcement of the PSM standard to cover the chemical industry. The program began June 2007 and only applied to petroleum refineries. The agency now plans to inspect approximately 300 chemical manufacturing facilities.