Tag Archives: OSHA

EPA Final Facility Safety Rule Still Faces Uncertain Future

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Yesterday, EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy signed the agency’s final Facility Safety Rule.[1]  The rule, which contains some significant changes from the draft version, will be published in the Federal Register within the next few weeks and will take effect 60 days after publication.  That is, if it is not somehow blocked. The final rule codifies many of the safety requirements in the draft rule, including consideration of inherently safer technology and third party audits after reportable releases.  It also includes notable changes to address security concerns raised both by industry and [...]Read more

New EPA Facility Safety Rule Faces Uncertain Future

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On October 14, 2016, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sent its final revised facility safety rule to the White House Office of Management & Budget (OMB) for pre-publication review. The rule would update EPA’s Risk Management Plan (RMP), a program established under Section 112(r) of the Clean Air Act (CAA) to improve the safety of industrial plants that use or store more than a threshold quantity of a hazardous substances. The current rule requires only that covered companies submit to EPA a plan to reduce the risk of future accidents from releases; the February 25, 2016 version of [...]Read more

CSB Report calls for Preventative Inspections at Petroleum Refineries, Bolstering EPA and OSHA Efforts

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Earlier this month, the U.S. Chemical and Safety Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) issued a report calling for preventative inspections at petroleum refineries to prevent accidents and injuries.  The report highlights the value of robust, preventative inspections and proactive regulators in minimizing process safety incidents.  CSB, through the report, calls on California regulators to conduct preventative inspections and analyze facilities’ process safety history, including “near misses.”  CSB also calls for California to require refineries to report process safety indicators.  The conclusions [...]Read more

DOJ Redoubles Efforts to Prosecute Workplace Violations as Environmental Crimes

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Reporting that 13 workers in America die each day on the job due to injuries and 150 workers succumb to exposure to carcinogens and other toxic and hazardous substances while working, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) is seeking to increase deterrence of crimes that put the lives and the health of workers at risk. Given the troubling statistics, the DOJ is redoubling joint efforts between its Environment and Natural Resources Division and the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and other agencies to hold accountable [...]Read more