EPA schlägt Änderungen beim Risikomanagement vor
On April 17, 2013, a chemical explosion occurred at the West Fertilizer Company in West, Texas, that resulted in multiple fatalities and over 200 injuries. Investigators determined that this deadly explosion could have been prevented if safety hazards had been correctly identified and mitigated. In response to this tragedy, President Obama issued an Executive Order with the goal to “Improve Chemical Facility Safety and Security” (EO 13650) on August 1, 2013.
Prompted by this Executive Order, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued a proposed rule change to the Accidental Release Prevention Requirements of Risk Management Programs (RMP), which is closely related to OSHA’s Process Safety Management (PSM) rule and affects chemical process safety. These revisions are designed to both improve risk management systems at host facilities and increase communication between facilities and the public, including emergency response personnel, concerning site-related hazards and response requirements. In some cases, annual exercises to review emergency response plans may be required to ensure resources are in place in the event of an accidental release.
Zusätzlich dazu schlägt die EPA vor, die Anforderungen an die Unfalluntersuchung zu verschärfen, indem eine Fehler-Ursachen-Analyse als Teil der Unfalluntersuchungen erforderlich gemacht wird. Die verschärfte Regelung erfordert auch eine regelmäßige Analyse von Prozessen und Technologien mit hohem Gefahrenrisiko zur Bestimmung der Einsatzmöglichkeit alternativer Technologien.
Während diese vorgeschlagene Regelung sich auf Anlagen richtet, soll die stärkere Regelung die Sicherheit von chemischen Prozessanlagen für Arbeitgeber, Arbeitnehmer, Rettungskräfte und die Gemeinschaft insgesamt verbessern.