OSHA is considering revising its Process Safety Management (PSM) standard, 29 CFR 1910.119, to address gaps in safety coverage; or updating its Flammable Liquids standard, 29 CFR 1910.106, and Spray Finishing standard, 29 CFR 1910.107, based on the latest consensus standards. The following options are being considered:
- clarifying the PSM exemption for atmospheric storage tanks;
- expanding coverage and requirements for reactivity hazards;
- expanding the scope of paragraph (j) to cover the mechanical integrity of any safety-critical equipment;
- expanding the scope of paragraph (l) to require greater organizational management of change from employers; and
- updating §1910.106 and 1910.107 based on the latest consensus standards.
| Agency: Department of Labor(DOL) | Priority: Economically Significant |
| RIN Status: First time published in the Unified Agenda | Agenda Stage of Rulemaking: Prerule Stage |
| Major: Undetermined | Unfunded Mandates: Undetermined |
| CFR Citation: 29 CFR 1910.119 | |
| Legal Authority: 29 USC 655; 29 USC 657 | |
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Legal Deadline: None |
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Timetable:
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CLICK HERE for the official notice or Here
UPDATE on 11/15/13:
From the CSB listening session on Executive Order 13650 Improving Chemical Facility Safety and Security
The Board is also pleased that OSHA is considering additional revisions to the Process Safety Management standard which would address the standard’s exemption for atmospheric storage tanks. Following our investigation of the July 2001 sulfuric acid tank explosion that killed a worker at the Delaware City refinery, the Board recommended that OSHA ensures coverage under PSM for atmospheric storage tanks that could be involved in a catastrophic release as a result of being interconnected to a PSM-covered process. More than ten years later, this recommendation has not been implemented, and the Board remains concerned that such tanks remain exempted from important process safety and mechanical integrity requirements prescribed by the PSM standard. We support OSHA’s willingness to address this safety gap and further our shared goal of preventing future chemical incidents.
No one should get too bent out of shape as this is NOT the first time OSHA has begun the process of revising the PSM standard. Other attempts/efforts include 1997 and 2001 when they wanted to
- add reactive chemicals that are not currently covered by PSM to the rule, revise the language of the rule to clarify OSHA’s intent to cover flammable liquids stored in atmospheric tanks that are connected to a process
- add chemicals to the list of highly hazardous chemicals in the PSM standard that was not originally included in the OSHA standard but was included in the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Risk Management Program (RMP) rule