In This Edition: (Click on Bullet to Jump to Story)

  EPA News:  Refiner Ashland, Inc. Pleads Guilty to Employee Endangerment Charges Under the Clean Air Act

  OSHA News:  OSHA Announces Formation of National Advisory Committee for Ergonomics 

  CSB News:  BP Amoco Polymers CSB Investigation Report Available

   Industry Focus:   
          1.  OSHA Interpretations: Emergency Response Planning – HAZWOPER Training

          2.  Brookings Institute Releases Report on Homeland Security & Terrorism

  Resources:  
           1.   MKOPSC Process Safety Management/Risk Management Program Current Issues and Updates 

           2.   CCPS Security Project Reaches First Milestones

           3.   NFPA Makes New Code Available  From Website

  Incident News:  
           1.   Monthly Summary of Incidents, April 19 - May 20, 2002

  Events Update:  
           1.    International Energy Insurance Forum, July 3-5, 2002, London, U.K.

           2.    CCPS International Conference and Workshop on Risk, Reliability, and Security, October 8-11, 2002 Jacksonville, FL- Special Offer! See below.

   Other ATI Offers Courses in Crisis Management & Plant Security  

Refiner Ashland, Inc. Pleads Guilty to Employee Endangerment Charges Under the Clean Air Act 
Petroleum refiner Ashland, Inc., has pleaded guilty to charges that it endangered employees as a result of a explosion and fire at its Minnesota refinery in 1997.  Besides significant fines and settlements with affected employees, Ashland has agreed to upgrade all of its process sewers, junction boxes and drains at the St. Paul Park refinery to help ensure this type of incident never again occurs. This project is estimated to cost $3.7 million. The case arose out of a fire and explosion that happened on a day when workers at the company's refinery were pumping hydrocarbons into the refinery's sewer system for the purpose of treatment and recycling. The sewer system was required to have manhole covers that were sealed to prevent vapor emissions.  Ashland agreed that it knew that sewers were not sealed as required.

Find more details of the US DOJ Press Release at http://www.acusafe.com/Newsletter/Stories/0502NewsAshland.htm

OSHA Announces Formation of National Advisory Committee for Ergonomics 
OSHA recently announced formation of a national advisory committee for ergonomics.  From the Press Release: "The committee will advise on a number of issues involving information on various industry or task-specific guidelines; identification of gaps in the existing research on ergonomics and the application of ergonomic principles to the workplace; current and projected research needs and efforts; methods of providing outreach and assistance that will communicate the value of ergonomics to employers and employees; and ways to increase communication among stakeholders on the issue of ergonomics."

 For full text of the official OSHA press release, go to http://www.osha.gov/media/oshnews/apr02/trade-20020430.html.

BP Amoco Polymers CSB Investigation Report Available
On March 13, 2001, at approximately 2:40 am, three workers were fatally injured when pressurized material was suddenly expelled from the polymer catch tank  at the BP Amoco Polymers plant in Augusta, Georgia.  The investigation targets failure of multiple design and management procedures as root and contributing causes.  The report was released for public review on May 23, 2002.  

Find the full report, in .pdf format, from AcuSafe at http://www.acusafe.com/Newsletter/Stories/BP_Amoco_052302.pdf (warning- this file is large and may take some time to load).

PSM Interpretations - Emergency Response Planning –  HAZWOPER Training
AcuSafe presents the eighth installment in a series of feature articles entitled "PSM Interpretations."  In this edition of AcuSafe News, we focus on several interpretations dealing with emergency response planning, specifically HAZWOPER training requirements. The regulation governing emergency response training is considered part of the PSM Standard by reference. Paragraph (n) of 29 CFR1910.119, the PSM emergency response element, refers to 29 CFR1910.120(p) or (q), the HAZWOPER standard. Note that most of these interpretations pre-date the adoption of the final PSM Standard.  

Find this AcuSafe feature at  http://www.acusafe.com/Newsletter/Stories/0502NewsPart8Interpretations.htm.

Brookings Institute Releases Report on Homeland Security & Terrorism
The Brookings Institute has released its analysis of the current budget and allocation of funds to increase homeland security.   The Report also outlines a basic four-tier structure for enhancing homeland security—defense of the nation’s perimeter, preventive measures to track terrorists and secure dangerous materials, protection of domestic targets housing large numbers of people or representing a crucial part of our infrastructure, and the capacity to respond effectively to the consequences of a terrorist attack.   Find the full report at   http://www.acusafe.com/Newsletter/Stories/Protecting the American Homeland - Brookings - 5-02.pdf. (warning- this file is large and may take some time to load)

MKOPSC RMP/PSM Current Issues and Update Seminar for Industry
The Mary Kay O'Connor Process Safety Center hosted an outreach seminar to address current issues and updates regarding PSM and RMP.  Sponsors included EPA, OSHA, and the MKOPSC, and a plethora of industry speakers including AcuTech's David Moore.  The Seminar highlighted accident prevention outreach and information regarding EPA’s Accident Prevention Regulations and OSHA’s Process Safety Management Regulations.

Find the seminar's papers and presentations at on the EPA Region VI Website at:: http://www.epa.gov/earth1r6/6en/a/psm-rmp_conference

CCPS Security Project Reaches First Milestones
In November 2001, CCPS launched a new project to address Chemical Site Security. The project has team members from over 20 CCPS sponsor companies, and close ties to initiatives of the American Chemistry Council (ACC) and the Synthetic Organic Chemicals Manufacturing Association (SOCMA).  Milestones thus far include an "Enterprise Screening Tool" for evaluating top level security, and in the near future goals include a security vulnerability analysis process and tools for completing the process.

For additional information, go to http://www.acusafe.com/Newsletter/Stories/0502NewsCCPSSecurityUpdate.htm

NFPA Makes New Code Available from Website
From the NFPA website:  "As part of the nonprofit NFPA's commitment to enhancing public safety through the adoption and enforcement of key safety codes and standards, the Association announced today that it will make two prominent consensus codes available for review online by the public. Following its scheduled August 2002 issuance, NFPA 5000, Building Code™, will be available along with NFPA 1, Fire Prevention Code, through NFPA's Web site."

For full text of the press release, go to the NFPA website by clicking here. 

Monthly Summary of Incidents, April 19, 2002 - May 20, 2002
We collect stories about major spills and releases from around the globe. This month's installment summarizes a total of 26 incidents brought to our attention between April 19, 2002 and May 20, 2002. Most of the incidents covered have caused significant injury, deaths, or major property damage. Accidents in China, Romania, Brazil, Canada, New Zealand, Georgia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Poland, Malaysia, and the U.S. are represented.  We welcome input to this effort by submitting summaries of other notable events to editor@acusafe.com.

CCPS International Conference and Workshop on Risk, Reliability, and Security, October 8-11, 2002 Jacksonville, FL.
Save $100 by Registering Early for the CCPS International Conference and Workshop on Risk, Reliability, and Security, October 8-11, 2002, Jacksonville, FL. This year's conference will highlight the latest developments in the technical and management aspects of Risk, Reliability, and Security and explore synergies between these fields. The conference will also feature keynote and luncheon addresses by internationally prominent speakers, opportunities to network with leading practitioners, and informative exhibits.
For more information go to http://www.aiche.org/ccps/icw  or call 212-591-7319. 

The 2-day course provides a thorough overview of crisis and emergency planning related to large-scale releases of
chemicals from process facilities. Among the topics covered include: current federal laws and regulations related to crisis management planning, overview of the proposed Chemical Security Act, how to conduct a plant security hazard assessment, development of crisis management and emergency response plans, emergency training, public relations, media issues, risk communications during emergencies and plant security issues at process facilities. Participants will develop the knowledge to develop and implement such programs at their own facilities. Attendance would benefit environmental and safety professionals, plant managers, operations and maintenance managers/supervisors, emergency response personnel and RMP coordinators. Best practices, garnered from actual successful programs, will be highlighted.

For pricing information, course descriptions, a course schedule, and biographies of AcuTech course instructors, please read our full brochure at http://www.acutech-consulting.com/training/ATI_2002FullSchedule.PDF.