Fairfax: OSHA Plans PSM Inspections for Chemical Plants

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.occupationalhazards.com/News/Article/79656/Fairfax_OSHA_Plans_PSM_Inspections_for_Chemical_Plants.aspx

April 9, 2008

By Katherine Torres

In an exclusive, face-to-face interview with OccupationalHazards.com, Richard Fairfax, director of OSHA enforcement programs, announced the agency intends conduct a slew of complex process safety management inspections at chemical plants, but was uncertain when inspections could begin.

Fairfax said he originally planned to launch the National Emphasis Program (NEP) for the chemical industry in late summer or early fall of 2008, but now is unable to make the deadline because his resources are tied up investigating the Imperial Sugar refinery blast in Georgia. That explosion killed 13 workers and critically injured 11 others.

“This doesn't mean that I have stopped working on it,” Fairfax explained. “We will continue with it and when we are ready, we will launch it.

Approximately 28,000 chemical plants operate throughout the country, and Fairfax said OSHA plans to randomly select facilities for inspection. These inspections will be similar to the OSHA inspection program for refineries, which began in June 2007.

While the NEP details have not yet been finalized, Fairfax said compliance officers will focus on the management and operation of chemical manufacturing processes. These are the primary causes of large chemical accidents in the United States, he said.
NEPs Very Helpful, Fairfax Says

Fairfax also responded to criticism from union and labor organization leaders who claim NEPs are not the sole solution in addressing combustible dust, diacetyl and other hazards. These dissenters maintain that NEPs do not fully address the dangers to workers, and that standards would be more effective.

Fairfax, however, asserted that NEPs do work. H noted that while developing a standard could take years, he almost immediately can send his team of compliance officers to investigate problems under an NEP. “If there is a problem, I can get there a lot quicker than with a standard,” he said.

FULL story at link.