OSHA Issues Safety Rules to Avert Explosions at Petrochemical Plants

Employers in the petrochemical industry will be required to analyze job hazards and develop ways to guard against explosions and other catastrophes under government safety rules issued Friday.

The regulations, written by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, are designed to prevent the type of fatal plant explosions that have rocked the petrochemical industry in recent years.

More than 3 million workers at nearly 25,000 job sites in the United States will fall under the new OSHA standards, the Labor Department estimated.

The new regulations could prevent about 250 job-related deaths a year and another 1,500 injuries and illnesses, the agency said.

Under the rules, companies will have to undertake a “process hazard analysis,” or a systematic review of what could go wrong and what safeguards should be implemented to prevent release of hazardous chemicals.

The standards also require employee participation in safety programs; written operating procedures; employee training; maintenance of critical equipment; emergency action plans, and compliance audits at least every three years.

Many of the procedures are standard safety precautions that companies already take, and making them OSHA regulations puts the teeth of federal law behind them.

Mainly, the standards cover workers in manufacturing industries where chemicals, transportation equipment and fabricated metal products are made. Other industries affected include natural gas liquids; farm product warehousing; electric, gas and sanitary services, and wholesale trade.