Process Safety Management is a regulation, promulgated by the U.S. OSHA, intended to prevent a disaster like the 1984 Bhopal Disaster. "Unexpected releases of toxic, reactive, or flammable liquids and gases in processes involving highly hazardous chemicals have been reported for many years. Incidents continue to occur in various industries that use highly hazardous chemicals which may be toxic, reactive, flammable, or explosive, or may exhibit a combination of these properties. Regardless of the industry that uses these highly hazardous chemicals, there is a potential for an accidental release any time they are not properly controlled. This, in turn, creates the possibility of disaster. To help assure safe and healthful workplaces, OSHA has issued the Process Safety Management of Highly Hazardous Chemicals regulations (Title 29 of CFR Section 1910.119) which contain requirements for the management of hazards associated with processes using highly hazardous chemicals."

A great many industrial facilities must comply with OSHA's Process Safety Management (PSM) regulations as well as the quite similar EPA Risk Management Program (RMP) regulations (Title 40 CFR Part 68). The EPA has published a model RMP plan for an ammonia refrigeration facility which provides excellent guidance on how to comply with either OSHA's PSM regulations or the EPA's RMP regulations.

The Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS) of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) has published a widely used book that explains various methods for identifying hazards in industrial facilities and quantifying their potential severity. Appendix D of the OSHA's PSM regulations endorses the use of the methods explained in that book.

See also

• Accidental Release Source Terms
• Atmospheric dispersion modeling
• Change management
• Hazard analysis
• Hazardous chemicals

External Links

• EPA's General Risk Management Program Guidance (April 2004)
• EPA's Risk Management Program Guidance For Offsite Consequence Analysis
• Occupational Safety and Health Administration (USA)
• European Agency for Safety and Health at Work
• Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety
• National Occupational Health and Safety Commission (Australia)
• Health and Safety Executive (UK)

References

1. OSHA's PSM regulations at 29CFR1910.119
2. OSHA's brief discussion of PSM
3. EPA's model RMP plan
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Environmental Protection Agency | Occupational Safety and Health Administration | Safety | Safety engineering