Washington OSHA issues draft PSM rule for refineries
Posted February 15, 2018
Washington OSHA, following an informal rulemaking process, released notice of its draft Process Safety Management (PSM) safety rule on January 6, 2018. Furthering its promulgation of the rule, with a comment period, it began holding public meetings. The first meeting was held on February 7th, the next public meeting will be held on February 21st.
This arrives on the heels of California’s PSM for Refineries standard published last fall and several years after an explosion with multiples fatalities at a refinery in Anacortes, Washington. If finalized, Washington’s draft PSM standard would affect at least five large refineries in Washington. The proposed PSM rule will include changes to:
- Damage mechanism reviews,
- Safeguard protection analysis,
- Hierarchy of hazard controls analysis,
- Increased compliance audits,
- Additional management of change requirements, and
- Broader operating procedures.
Additionally, Washington OSHA’s PSM Advisory Committee, comprised of industry and labor members, will meet on March 7th to also discuss this draft rule.
OSHA Rules for General Industry: 1910 and Other Essential Regulations puts OSHA’s workplace safety regulations in a reader-friendly format.
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