The U.S. Chemical Safety Board has identified the modernization of U.S. Process Safety Management (PSM) regulations as its newest Most Wanted Safety Improvement, concluding that implementation of key federal and state CSB safety recommendations will result in significant improvement of Process Safety Management (PSM) regulations in the United States.

Written Testimony Submitted by U.S. Chemical Safety Board Chairman Rafael Moure-Eraso to the Joint Committee: Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works and the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions hearing entitled, "Oversight of the Implementation of the President’s Executive Order on Improving Chemical Facility Safety and Security.”

The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) recommends substantial changes to the way refineries are regulated in California in its final Regulatory Report on the Chevron Richmond Refinery pipe rupture and fire. Among them: the Board wants California to enhance its process safety management (PSM) regulations for petroleum refineries to ensure a more robust and adaptive regulatory regime. 

OSHA has renewed its alliance with the Global Cold Chain Alliance to continue working together to protect workers from exposure to hazardous chemical releases from ammonia refrigeration systems. The alliance will also focus on improving the process safety management programs for these systems.

In response to requests from stakeholders, OSHA is pushing back the deadline for submitting public comments on potential revisions to its Process Safety Management (PSM) standard and related standards to March 31^st.

OSHA has cited StanChem Inc. for 13 serious violations of workplace safety standards at its East Berlin, Conn., manufacturing plant. The manufacturer of specialty coatings and polymers faces a total of $55,300 in proposed fines following an inspection by OSHA's Hartford Area Office.

Not quite sure who lit the fire at OSHA but the level of activity at the agency in the last two months is more activity than we have seen in the last several years combined. Now the question is likely to be whether or not any of this activity will result in completed actions. Here’s a look at the current activity: