Who must follow Process Safety Management regulations? Companies processing “highly hazardous” chemicals must follow the Occupational Health and Safety Administration’s (OSHA) Process Safety Management (PSM) standard to assess the risks of processes and establish a series of controls to avoid catastrophic consequences. Does OSHA consider common flammable materials “highly hazardous”? Many chemical companies have assumed […]
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USEPA Updates Regional Screening Levels with 14 PFAS
USEPA’s May 18, 2022, Regional Screening Level (RSL) update included the anion and acid forms of several per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), providing residential and industrial soil screening levels; soil screening levels for protection of groundwater; and tapwater screening levels. 14 PFAS included in USEPA RSL Update ammonium perfluoro-2-methyl-3-oxahexanoate hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA) (aka, […]
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Benefits of Consolidating your PSM and RMP Programs
Although they are enforced by different regulatory agencies, OSHA’s Process Safety Management (PSM) and EPA’s Chemical Accident Prevention Provisions – also known as Risk Management Plan (RMP) – work in tandem to mitigate potentially catastrophic onsite and offsite incidents involving fires, explosions, and toxic vapor releases. From a regulatory standpoint, the PSM standard (29 CFR […]
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Storms and Safe Rooms and BARAs … Oh My!
Dorothy got swept up in a twister and transported to the land of Oz, but we all know we wouldn’t be so lucky. Watching the weather channel this time of year is enough to make anyone in a tornado-prone area consider building a safe place at their home. But we can’t all build a storm […]
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Life Safety Basics for Business and Industrial Occupancies (Part 2)
If you missed Part 1 of this article, which covered design and operating features, regulations, and assessment recommendations, check it out here. In Part 2, let’s take a deeper dive into eight key features of life safety for business and industrial occupancies that we commonly see in buildings: Number of Exits Travel Distances to Exits […]
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