DIR Releases Status Report on Process Safety Management Regulatory Oversight of California’s Petroleum Refineries

Christine Baker, Director of the Department of Industrial Relations (DIR), has submitted a legislatively-mandated status report on DIR and Cal/OSHA’s Process Safety Management (PSM) Regulatory Oversight. The report is required pursuant to the Budget Act of 2014 (Provisions 1 and 2 of item 7350-001-3121, Chapter 25, Statutes of 2014). A new assessment on the state’s oil refineries, implemented by DIR in 2013, requires refineries to provide funding support to DIR for Cal/OSHA’s PSM refinery program. The funds, which are independent of the state’s General Fund, have allowed DIR to expand the PSM staff from 10 positions in 2012 to 26 positions and supported eleven weeks of advanced technical training for the refinery inspectors. Cal/OSHA’s PSM Unit is responsible for inspecting refineries and chemical plants that handle large quantities of toxic and flammable materials. Health and safety standards enforced by the PSM Unit, including adequate employee training, are intended to prevent catastrophic explosions, fires, and releases of dangerous chemicals. 

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