Volume 3, Issue 3, April/May 2001, David M. Garcia, Editor

Welcome to AcuSafe News -- The electronic newsletter devoted to serving industry, government, and interested members of the public by providing  process safety practices, incident news, lessons learned, and regulatory developments. 

AcuSafe News is an extension of the AcuSafe website (http://www.acusafe.com/), the Internet resource for safety and risk management information, products, training, and professional exchange. We hope you visit the website and find AcuSafe News and the AcuSafe site to be valuable tools. AcuSafe.com and AcuSafe News are presented to you by AcuTech Consulting, a division of Chemetica, Inc.  

 

In This Issue


  EPA News:   EPA Issues Annual TRI Report for 1999

  CSB News:  
         1.   CSB Investigation Concludes Flawed Management Supervision to Blame for 1999 Tosco Refinery Fire that Killed Four Workers
         2.   CSB Issues Budget Justification Report

  Politics and Legislation:   Republican-led Congress, President Busy Rolling Back Clinton Energy, Safety, and Environmental Policies

  Industry Focus:  Survey Results to our February 2001 poll: Are U.S. Environmental and Safety Regulations Too Tough?  

  Resources:  NFPA Offering Online Tutorials

  Incident News:  
           1.   Monthly Summary of Incidents, February 26, 2001 - April 12, 2001 
           2.   Sinking of Petrobras' Offshore Oil Platform, the World's Largest
           3.   Notable Oil Spills of the Recent Past

  Events Update:  
           1.  ASSE Annual Conference: Safety 2001
           2.  AcuTech Training Institute Offers HAZOP and PSM Training Seminars in Asia
                      
 

Story Abstracts
EPA News 
EPA Issues Annual TRI Report for 1999
On April 11, 2001, EPA issued its annual Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) report, which covers calendar year 1999. For a complete copy of the report, fact sheets and information by zip code, please visit http://www.epa.gov/tri/tri99/. Overall, total on- and off-site releases increased from 1998 to 1999 by 5 percent. The original industries, coal mining and petroleum terminals and bulk storage facilities reported decreases for that period. The so-called "original industries" (mostly manufacturing facilities) reported a 2.5% decrease, coal mining reported a 10% decrease, and petroleum terminals and bulk storage facilities showed a 5.5% decrease.

  
Chemical Safety Board News
Flawed Management Supervision to Blame for 1999 Tosco Refinery Fire that Killed Four Workers
The CSB shared its conclusions about the 1999 tragedy at the Avon Refinery, which was owned by Tosco Corporation at the time of the incident. Two root causes of the tragedy were identified:  First, Avon refinery management did not have an effective process for assessing the dangers of maintenance operations and implementing needed safeguards. Second, neither the parent Tosco Corporation nor the facility management had investigated or corrected a pattern of serious unsafe practices at the Avon refinery.” A press release explaining the investigation summarizes the CSB's findings in more detail. An AcuSafe article from last year presents a chronology of the incident and the investigations that followed.  A full copy of the CSB investigation report (Word format, 3.3 MB) is also available at http://www.chemsafety.gov/news/2001/docs/tosco_investigation.doc.

 
CSB Issues Budget Justification Report
The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) has released its annual budget justification and performance plan for fiscal year (FY) 2002. The new budget, transmitted to Congress and the President, requests an appropriation of $9 million to support Board operations during the fiscal year beginning October 1. Congress appropriated $7.5 million for CSB operations in FY2001. Just over $1 million of the requested increase is slated for personnel costs, due largely to the CSB’s successful hiring program over the last twelve months. The balance of the increase will fund additional training, contract support, and office space rental. By law, the Board prepares and submits its budget to Congress independent of the Executive Branch.

 

Politics and Legislation
Republican-led Congress, President Busy Rolling Back Clinton Energy, Safety, and Environmental Policies
In a series of moves, the Bush Administration and Congress have acted to withdraw a number of Clinton Administration initiatives. While a number of regulations are currently being scrutinized, here are some of their early actions.    
Industry Focus

Survey Results to our February 2001 poll: Are U.S. Environmental and Safety Regulations Too Tough?
Well the results of our March survey are in and the results may surprise you. Click here to read where regulators and those working in industry differed on wheter EES&H requirements are too strict or not tough enough.  
 
Resources

NFPA Offering Online Tutorials
NFPA is offering two free online tutorials: “A Guide to Grounding Terms” and “NFPA 70E: Determining Personal Protective Equipment Requirements.” Just visit www.nfpa.org to log on. These entry-level, self-paced tutorials are a great way to experience online learning at no cost. 

 
Incident News
Monthly Summary of Incidents, February 26, 2001 - April 12, 2001
We collect stories about major spills and releases from around the globe. This month's installment summarizes a total of 14 incidents brought to our attention between February 26, 2001 and April 12, 2001.  Most of the incidents covered have caused significant injury, deaths, or major property damage. Accidents in Denmark, Spain, Canada, Brazil, Angola, Japan, Turkey, and the U.S. are represented.  We welcome input to this effort by submitting summaries of other notable events to editor@acusafe.com.

 
Sinking of Petrobras' Offshore Oil Platform, the World's Largest
 A series of explosions rocked a Petrobras Offshore Oil Platform on March 15; the one-year-oldstructure sank five days later. A total of 11 workers were killed and almost half a million gallons of oil spilled into the ocean. For a chronology of the event, speculation as to the cause of the tragedy, and a chronology of recent Petrobras accidents, please read our feature story. 

 
Notable Oil Spills of the Recent Past
In light of the Petrobras Oil Platform spill, we have prepared a chronology of other notable spills of the recent past and show how this recent spill stacks up.

 
Events Update

ASSE Annual Conference: Safety 2001
The American Society of Safety Engineers is holding its annual conference and exposition June 8 - 16, 2001 in Anaheim, California. Hundreds of companies will be represented at the exposition and educational opportunities. Seminar topics will include 
  • Leadership/Management
  • Construction
  • Ergonomics
  • International Health & Safety
  • Human Behavior
  • Technical/Engineering
  • Risk Management/Insurance
  • Environment

For more information and registration information, please visit http://www.asse.org/annual.htm

AcuTech Training Institute Offers HAZOP and PSM Training Seminars in Asia
Continuing its successful series of training seminars, the AcuTech Training Institute is offering its HAZOP Team Leader and PSM Overview courses in Singapore and Jakarta in June 2001. With an experienced team of trainers who have consulted on process safety and process hazard analysis issues for large industrial facilities worldwide, AcuTech emphasizes practical, hands-on approaches to its courses. AcuTech's team leader classes build your team leadership skills enabling you to lead multidisciplinary teams undertaking  HAZOP studies. Review AcuTech's 5-step process to implementing process safety management in your company, and participate in workshops to learn how to initiate, manage, and audit process safety programs. 

For a complete listing of all of AcuTech Training Institutes open enrollment courses please visit http://www.acutech-consulting.com/training/ or visit AcuTech's process safety management portal at http://www.acusafe.com./.

 
 


 
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