The chemical companies received a series of complex process safety management" (PSM) inspections carried out by OSHA starting this year.
The inspections focus on the management and operation of the chemical manufacturing processes, which are taken as a primary cause of major chemical accidents. Just as the chemical manufacturing processes are difficult, the OSHA inspections have been designed to match up. This inspection has been designed similar to the inspection program for refineries that began last June.
The main reason why OSHA has been insisted to conduct more PSM inspections frequently by the Chemical Safety & Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) is due to the fatal accident in a refinery that happened in Texas last 2005.
There are 101 refineries under OSHA’s jurisdiction and 81 of them will be inspected. The others come under the voluntary OSHA oversight program. Now OSHA has about 1,000 inspectors and out of that 330 of them are being trained for the refinery program and the same and more will be trained for the chemical plant program.
Though the program has been applauded but the main concern that has been still ringing is the shortage of inspectors and adequacy of the OSHA safety training.
The inspections focus on the management and operation of the chemical manufacturing processes, which are taken as a primary cause of major chemical accidents. Just as the chemical manufacturing processes are difficult, the OSHA inspections have been designed to match up. This inspection has been designed similar to the inspection program for refineries that began last June.
The main reason why OSHA has been insisted to conduct more PSM inspections frequently by the Chemical Safety & Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) is due to the fatal accident in a refinery that happened in Texas last 2005.
There are 101 refineries under OSHA’s jurisdiction and 81 of them will be inspected. The others come under the voluntary OSHA oversight program. Now OSHA has about 1,000 inspectors and out of that 330 of them are being trained for the refinery program and the same and more will be trained for the chemical plant program.
Though the program has been applauded but the main concern that has been still ringing is the shortage of inspectors and adequacy of the OSHA safety training.
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