Avoid a visit from the OSHA police. Learning the rules and doing self evaluations will help employers stay on the right side of the law. As well as having a healthier, safer, workplace. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is responsible for ensuring that workers can perform their jobs in a safe and non-toxic environment. Employers are directed to set up Process Safety Management (PSM) procedures. To avoid penalties, employers must pass OSHA audits and inspections.
Industries
If the business is in one of these industries:
* Aerospace & Defense
* Agricultural chemicals
* Ammonia refrigeration
* Automotive
* Batch process industries
* Coal mining
* Construction
* Electronics & semiconductor manufacturing
* Engineering companies
* Food processing
* Municipal water treatment
* Oil and gas production and pipelines
* Organic & inorganic chemicals
* Paints, coatings, resins and adhesives
* Petrochemicals
* Petroleum refining
* Pharmaceuticals & specialty chemicals
* Polymers and resins
* Propane storage and distribution
* Pulp and paper
* Rubber and plastics
* Ship Building
Processes
And one of the following applies:
* Concrete and masonry
* Confined space
* Cranes and riggings
* Electrical hazard/safety
* Fall prevention
* Fire prevention
* Forklift
* Gases, vapors, fumes
* Hand and power tools use and guarding / safety
* Hazardous materials and chemical
* Hazardous waste
* Illumination
* Iodizing and non-iodizing radiation
* Material handling
* Motorized mobile platforms
* Noise exposure
* Personal protective equipment
* Sanitation
* Scaffolding
* Signs signals barricades
* Stairs and ladders
* Steel erection (Subpart R regulation)
* Trenching and Excavations
* Ventilation
* Welding and hot work
* Workplace traffic
Compliance
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) provides standards to ensure the health and safety of workers and performs inspections to enforce compliance with those standards. To support compliance, OSHA offers Process Safety Management (PSM) guidelines. Employers need to know about these OSHA compliance areas:
* Pre-startup Safety Review-Verifies the he construction, equipment and processes of a new facility.
* Mechanical Integrity-Mandates written procedures for the safe operation grity of process equipment.
* Hot Work-Ensures that the proper permits are issued for welding and hot work operations.
* Management of Change-Again, there is a requirement for written procedures to manage changes except "replacements in kind" to facilities that effect a covered process.
* Incident Investigation-Requires prompt investigation of incidents which did result or could reasonably have resulted in catastrophic releases of covered chemicals.
* Emergency Planning and Response- Compels employers to develop and implement an emergency action plan.
* Disclosure-Sets Requires employers to make PSM information available to employees.
* Compliance Audits-Stipulates that employers must self audit and verify compliance with process safety requirements at least every three years.
A self audit may avert an OSHA compliance inspection. Smart businesses will plan these periodic self assessments and audits for PSM compliance.
