06.25.10
Process safety management standards are used to prevent or contain a catastrophic release of hazardous materials in high-risk operations present in the chemical and petroleum industries. OSHA has had a process safety management regulation since 1992. “We are writing to urge the Department of the Interior to actively engage OSHA to seek that agency’s expertise and experience on process safety management prior to issuing any final ‘Safety and Environmental Management Systems’ regulation,” Miller and Rahall wrote. “The MMS proposed regulation and OSHA’s rule share a common feature: both are focused on management systems to ensure hydrocarbons stay inside pipes in complex industrial processes such as oil rigs and refineries. While the purpose of the proposed MMS rule is laudable – to improve environmental and worker health and safety on the Outer Continental Shelf – we have some concerns that the rule is not comprehensive enough.”
At an Education and Labor Committee hearing this week on oil rig worker health and safety protections, MMS testified that it is working on a process safety management regulation for offshore oil rigs, like the Deepwater Horizon, but has not coordinated their proposal with experts at OSHA. In addition, MMS stated that the agency is basing their new proposal on voluntary oil industry standards.
View the full text of Miller and Rahal's letter
Miller, Rahall Demand MMS to Work with OSHA Before Finalizing New Oil Rig Safety Rule
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, and Rep. Nick Rahall (D-WV), chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, asked the Bureau of Energy (BOE), formerly the Minerals Management Service (MMS), to work with the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in developing a process safety management regulation.Process safety management standards are used to prevent or contain a catastrophic release of hazardous materials in high-risk operations present in the chemical and petroleum industries. OSHA has had a process safety management regulation since 1992. “We are writing to urge the Department of the Interior to actively engage OSHA to seek that agency’s expertise and experience on process safety management prior to issuing any final ‘Safety and Environmental Management Systems’ regulation,” Miller and Rahall wrote. “The MMS proposed regulation and OSHA’s rule share a common feature: both are focused on management systems to ensure hydrocarbons stay inside pipes in complex industrial processes such as oil rigs and refineries. While the purpose of the proposed MMS rule is laudable – to improve environmental and worker health and safety on the Outer Continental Shelf – we have some concerns that the rule is not comprehensive enough.”
At an Education and Labor Committee hearing this week on oil rig worker health and safety protections, MMS testified that it is working on a process safety management regulation for offshore oil rigs, like the Deepwater Horizon, but has not coordinated their proposal with experts at OSHA. In addition, MMS stated that the agency is basing their new proposal on voluntary oil industry standards.
View the full text of Miller and Rahal's letter
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