(54ad) Achieving Process Safety Management Best Practices - What Can You Do Differently

Since their promulgation – the U.S. Occupational & Safety Health Act (OSHA) Process Safety Management (PSM) Standard, 29CFR1910.119, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Risk Management Program (RMP) Rule, 40CFR68 – have resulted in improvements in plant's managing the release of highly hazardous flammable and toxic chemicals, fewer accidents and injuries, improved public health and safety, reduced environmental impacts, improved public image and employee morale, and other facility benefits. The OSHA PSM regulation and EPA RMP rule both require the development and implementation of a program to prevent catastrophic accidents for covered processes. These are "performance-based" regulations (meaning that the agencies state what to do, not how to do it) and are subject to ongoing interpretations and clarifications from the regulators. The prevention programs are wide-ranging and cover virtually every aspect of a company's operations. Companies are often unsure on what constitutes full compliance with the regulations.

In this presentation, the author will highlight common deficiencies found during compliance and risk based process safety audits and share industry best practices to address these deficiencies. These best practices are targeted not only to achieving regulatory compliance but also understanding how to take your PSM system one step further.