|
|
 Special-
Coast Guard News: The
Marine Transportation Security Act of 2002- Does it Apply to You?
OSHA
News: OSHA Region 4 Cites Refrigeration Facility After Release,
Injuries
CSB
News: CSB Team To Investigate Rhode
Island Cyanide Gas Incident
Industry
Focus:
1. CCPS
Developing Process Equipment Reliability Database Project (PERD)
2.
CCPS Forms SVA Users Group
3. Corzine Chemical Security Act Reintroduced to Congress
4. White House Releases Security Strategy
Promising Chemical Protection Bill
Resources:
1.
PSM Interpretations - Pre-Startup Safety Review (PSSR)
2.
FEMA and Red Cross Present Disaster Survival Guidelines
Incident
News:
1. Monthly
Summary of Incidents, December 16 - February 15, 2003
Events
Update:
1.
NPRA/DOE Homeland Security Conference & Technology Exposition, March 4-5, 2003 - Houston
Intercontinental
Hotel
2. UMIST "Hazards XVII- Process Safety - Fulfilling our
responsibilities" Symposium, March 25-27, 2002 Manchester UK
Other:
1. Fine
Tune Your Process Safety Knowledge with Upcoming AcuTech Training Institute
Process Safety Courses
2. AcuTech is Recruiting Process Safety and
Security Consultants
|
|
|
SPECIAL- Coast Guard News
The Marine Transportation Security Act of 2002- Does it Apply to You?
On November 25, 2002, President Bush signed the Maritime Transportation
Security Act of 2002, Pub. L. No. 107-295 (MTSA). The new law creates a
comprehensive port security program overseen by the Secretary of the
Department of Homeland Security (but likely to be delegated within the DHS
primarily to the Coast Guard). Because the legislation addresses facility
vulnerability assessments, security planning and implementation of security
measures, ACC member facilities subject to it will have to take many of the
same steps that are required by the Responsible Care Security Code, or that
would have been mandated under chemical security legislation considered (but
not adopted) by the 107th Congress. The precise requirements of the law,
particularly which facilities it covers, will be determined by a Coast Guard
rule set to emerge in June 2003.
This memo has been reprinted with permission of the ACC, and special thanks
are extended to the ACC and the paper's author, James Conrad of the American
Chemistry Council.
Please find full text of the memo at http://www.acusafe.com/Newsletter/Stories/New
existing port security laws.pdf
|
|
|
Industry Focus
CCPS Developing Process Equipment Reliability Database Project (PERD)
Several years ago, the Center for Chemical Process Safety formed a committee
to address equipment failure rate data. The committee has documented a set of
baseline rules that provides a fundamentally sound foundation for the
operation of an industry database. Harvesting and aggregating data from
multiple companies is currently underway with an initial effort focused on
relief valve proof test data. Groundwork is being laid to expand the
operation to compressors, piping, instrument loops, and remote actuated
valves.
For more information, see the CCPS PERD Website at http://www.aiche.org/ccps/perd/
or contact Mr. David Belonger at 609-654-4194 or djbassoc@erols.com
CCPS Forms SVA Users Group
CCPS has organized a special project to meet and discuss experiences with
implementation of any SVA process. This group has already met a few times and
has developed an agreement and By-Laws to manage the group called the SVA
Users Group (SVAUG). The next meeting of the group will be at the Comfort Inn
at BWI Airport on March 6. Companies that have participated
include Akzo-Nobel, Air Products, Celanese, CF
Industries, Dow, Georgia Pacific, Rhodia, Rohm and
Haas and the US EPA.
The mission of the group is stated as follows:
"SVAUG will facilitate the exchange of information, know-how,
experiences, techniques, procedures, problems, and special design features,
etc., as practiced by member companies for the purpose of analyzing,
managing, and reducing the vulnerability of chemical manufacturing, handling,
and transportation operations to those who intend to cause damage or do
harm."
Contact Dave Belonger (609-654-4914, djbassoc@erols.com ) to sign up, or if you have any questions.
Corzine Chemical Security Act
Reintroduced to Congress
Senator Jon S. Corzine (D-NJ) reintroduced his
"Chemical Security Act" before Congress. He was joined by Senators
James M. Jeffords (I-VT), Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY)
as cosponsors of the bill. Senator Corzine's
bill would require the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to work with the
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to identify high-priority chemical
plants based on the volume and toxicity of chemicals that the plants produce
or store and their proximity to population centers.
A Fact Sheet about the Corzine Chemical Security
Act can be found at: http://corzine.senate.gov/priorities/chem_sec.html
White House Releases Security Strategy Promising Chemical Protection
Bill
On February 14, the White House released a report, “The National Strategy
For The Physical Protection of Critical Infrastructures and Key Assets”,
which proposes security initiatives for key industrial sectors including the
chemical process industry (pages 65-66).
The report includes a plan to enact legislation to require certain
chemical facilities to complete security vulnerability assessments and take
action to reduce identified vulnerabilities.
The Bush administration is likely to support legislation to be
introduced by Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairman James
Inhofe (R-OK), which is expected to emphasize voluntary industry measures.
Most of the recommendations for the chemical industry involve voluntary
action and industry-government partnerships. For example, the strategy notes
that "parts of the industry have taken positive, voluntary steps to protect
sector infrastructure" and specifically cites the American Chemistry
Council's "Responsible Care" security code. But the report adds
that "a significant percentage of companies that operate major hazardous
chemical facilities do not abide by voluntary security codes developed by
other parts of the industry."
But aside from the legislative proposal, the president's strategy names
EPA as the lead agency responsible for chemical plant security. The national
strategy also directs EPA to "review" existing requirements on the
sale of pesticides and industrial chemicals. "This process will help
identify whether additional measures may be necessary to address security
issues related to these substances," the report says.
In its section on the oil and gas industry, the report offers no mandatory
proposals, but instead directs DHS and the Department of Energy to "work
with the oil and natural gas industry representatives to define consistent
criteria for criticality, standard approaches for vulnerability and risk
assessments for various facilities, and physical training for industry
personnel."
For the complete report, go to: http://www.whitehouse.gov/pcipb/physical.html
|
|
|
Resources
PSM Interpretations - Pre-Startup Safety Review
AcuSafe presents the thirteenth installment in a
series of feature articles entitled "PSM Interpretations." In
this edition of AcuSafe News, we present a series
of questions regarding applicability and
interpretations surrounding Pre-Startup Safety Review
(PSSR). Most facilities have combined the PSSR element with
management of change. Although the triggers for performing a PSSR and MOC are
different (for PSSR the change to the process must alter the PSI; for MOC the
change to the process must be other than replacement-in-kind), there are very
few changes in a PSM-covered process that would not require both PSSR and
MOC. Therefore, most site procedures for managing change have combined these
two elements. However, it is not mandatory that they be combined, and OSHA
has not issued any written or verbal guidance that suggests that they should
be combined.
Find this AcuSafe feature at
http://www.acusafe.com/Newsletter/Stories/0203NewsPart13Interpretations.htm.
FEMA and the American Red Cross Present Disaster Survival Guidelines
The American Red Cross and the Federal Emergency Management Association
have each provide disaster survival guidelines for public consumption.
Included in the guidelines are details about disaster survival techniques,
disaster-specific information, and how to prepare for and respond to both
natural and man-made disasters.
The FEMA Guidelines can be found at http://www.fema.gov/areyouready/
The Red Cross Guidelines can be found at http://www.redcross.org/services/disaster/keepsafe/unexpected.html
|
|
|
Incident News
Monthly Summary of Incidents, December 16, 2002 - February 15, 2003
We collect stories about major spills and releases from around the globe.
This
month's installment (http://www.acusafe.com/Newsletter/Stories/0203News-MonthlyIncidents.htm)
summarizes a total of 12 incidents brought to our attention between December
16, 2002 and February 15, 2003. Most of the incidents covered have caused
significant injury, deaths, or major property damage. Accidents in Israel,
France, India,
Canada, Tanzania,
Iran, Pakistan, and the U.S.
are represented. We welcome input to this effort by submitting
summaries of other notable events to editor@acusafe.com.
|
|
|
Events Update
NPRA/DOE Homeland Security Conference & Technology Exposition, March 4-5,
2003 - Houston Intercontinental Hotel
Organized to provide and share information about all sorts of applicable
industry security topics, this conference will feature special workshops and
break-out sessions from government and industry. Registration is open
to NPRA refiners and petrochemical manufacturers only.
Conference workshop topics will include such topics as:
- Practical Realities in doing an
SVA
- Perimeter Protection &
Access Control
- Transportation Issues- Water
& Martine Terminal
- Transportation Issues- Rail,
Truck & Pipeline
- Contractors, Background
Checks, and More
- Case Studies on Security
Breaches
Mr. David Moore, President of AcuTech Consulting
Group, will present an intensive, one-day SVA training seminar specifically
designed for petroleum refiners and petrochemical manufacturers. This
special session will be held on Monday March 3.
For more information see the seminar brochure at: http://www.acusafe.com/Newsletter/Stories/Security Conference
and Expo.pdf
UMIST "Hazards XVII- Process Safety - Fulfilling our
responsibilities" Symposium, March 25-27, 2002 Manchester UK
"If the process industry is to survive and prosper in the 21st
century it must adapt to changing social attitudes to risk, both to people
and the environment. This is being reflected in the increasing amount of
legislation being introduced to control risks and to hold to account those
responsible for creating them. Courts are exacting increasing penalties for
breaches of health, safety and environmental legislation. No longer is safety
the preserve of the safety officer. Together we are all responsible -
management, individuals, society and the regulator.
The aim of this symposium is to bring together international experts and
practitioners in both process safety and environmental protection to present
and discuss their work. The symposium will seek to raise awareness of these
issues and provide information about new and recent legislation in these
fields." Mr. David Moore, President of
AcuTech Consulting Group, will present two papers at this conference, “The
Regulation of Inherent Safety” and “A Simplified Risk-Based Approach for
Analyzing Human Factors”. For more
information go to http://www.icheme.org/events/hazardsxvii/
|
