In This Issue

  OSHA News: OSHA Issues Compliance Directive for Powered Industrial Truck Operator Training Standard
  RMP Update: Availability of EPA Guidance for Implementation of the § 112(r) General Duty Clause
  Hot Topics: PSM Effectiveness/Practices Poll Results Show Room for Improvement
  Industry Focus: Trauma Emergency Rooms May Not Be Able to Handle Hazardous Materials Accidents
  Resources: 1. TranSafe Internet Tool for Transportation Emergency Response Now Available! 
                         2. Interim Safety Report from the Chemical Safety Assessment Project out of the Mary K                             O'Connor Process Safety Center
                         3. Project Impact, Hazard Information and Awareness - a joint effort with FEMA and ESRI
                         4. Outlook for Human Factors and Impact on Inherent Safety for the Process Industries                              Paper 
  Incident News: Monthly Summary of Incidents, August 19 - September 18
  Events Update: AIChE Annual Meeting, November 12-17, 2000 
  Politics & Legislation: 
                        1. Profile of George W. Bush's Views on Environmental Issues 
                        2. Pipeline Safety Bill Passes U.S. Senate
 

Story Abstracts

• Instant access to a specially aggregated collection of maps and information on the locality that is possibly impacted by a chemical transportation incident and local resources for emergency response and cleanup.
• Instant access to ERG2000 Guidebook and MSDSs -- even when you are outside your office
• Instant threat assessment based on NAERG Protective Action Distances superimposed on a GIS map of the spill site
• Instant messaging/chat with other TranSafe users over the Internet in a private chat room especially for TranSafe incident management, whether they are across the hall or across the globe
• Instant access to addresses and phone numbers of all sensitive receptors in the danger zone, such as schools, hospitals and nursing homes, that is backed by a database with more than 300,000 addresses and phone numbers.
• Instant and automatic incident reports generated by TranSafe to meet corporate and government requirements
• Instant access to historical spill data to evaluate planning deficiencies, communication and resource needs
• An emergency risk assessment and planning tool to run spill scenarios at "hot spot" areas to assess company and community preparedness
• Instantly access and share key critical management documents, including site safety plans, Tier II Inventory, emergency notification lists, etc.

For more information about this exciting service, please read a more detailed informational brochure or launch a demo trial run.

Interim Safety Report from the Chemical Safety Assessment Project out of the Mary K O'Connor Process Safety Center
The Chemical Safety Assessment Project began a year ago with the objective of developing a methodology for chemical safety program assessment and applying that methodology to real-life accident prevention programs. Their mission was to Reduce chemical process accidents to zero while building public trust through community interaction. An interim report is now available detailing their outline of specific ways a methodology could be developed in support of their mission. Appendix A, "Summary of US Chemical Release Incident and Injury Databases," is also interesting in showing the strengths and weaknesses of a variety of existing databases both in the U.S. and some with international scope.  

Project Impact, Hazard Information and Awareness - a joint effort with FEMA and ESRI
Through the Project Impact initiative, FEMA and ESRI have formed a National Partnership, in part aimed at providing multi-hazard maps and information to U.S. residents, business owners, schools, community groups, and local governments via the Internet. The project uses public databases and mapping software to provide online maps of hazards in communities across the U.S. The database now has current and historical data about weather-related phenomenon such as floodplains, earthquakes, tornadoes, and hurricanes. For more information, please visit their web site.

Outlook for Human Factors and Impact on Inherent Safety for the Process Industries Paper
This paper, authored by David Moore and David Garcia of AcuTech Consulting, introduces the human factors concept, describes how current regulations address it, and proposes a strategy for better incorporating human factors into process safety management and inherently safer design. For a copy of the paper, please click on this link.

• Bioinformatics and Genomics
• Chemical Engineering Education in the New Millennium
• Energy and the Environment
• Industrial Particle Technology Progress: Applications and Fundamentals
• 5th Military Interaction Topical Conference

For more information about this exciting event, please visit their web site at http://www.aiche.org/annual/. 

A free calendar detailing important conferences, events, meetings, and regulatory deadlines is available on AcuSafe. The calendar is updated regularly, so we suggest you bookmark it for future reference - http://www.acusafe.com/Calendar/index.html. Our readers are encouraged to contribute other events of interest to Process Safety professionals.
 

Pipeline Safety Bill Passes U.S. Senate
After appearing stalled for several months, A bill to promote pipeline safety, known as the King and Tsiorvas Pipeline Safety Improvement Act of 2000, passed the U.S. Senate on September 7 without objection.  A comparable bill will soon be introduced into the House. For details about how the bill would affect existing regulations and for links to further resources, please read our feature story. 

 
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