OSHA issued the Process Safety Management of Highly Hazardous Chemicals Standard (PSM) (29 CFR 1910.119) which contains requirements for the safe management of chemicals for companies that exceed OSHA’s threshold quantities for highly hazardous substances. This standard requires the establishment of a management program that includes conducting process hazard analyses, establishing detailed operating procedures, and includes other important requirements to mitigate the possibility of a serious, chemical related incident occurring at the facility.
For this assignment, suppose you are a safety manager at a chemical manufacturing facility that manufactures concentrated nitric acid. You have heard that employees who load nitric acid into rail tank cars have been checking the pre-inspection checklist from the rail shipping office instead of actually inspecting the vehicles with the checklist in hand as required by the operating procedure. This has not been the first time the shipping crew has been lax about process safety related work rules. Based on this scenario, please compose a research paper which includes the following information:
Your research paper must be at least two pages in length. You are required to cite the OSHA Standard 29 CFR 1910.119 in your response as well as at least two other sources, one of which must come from the CSU Online Library. All sources used, including the textbook, must be referenced. Paraphrased and/or quoted materials must have accompanying citations in APA format.
Review Appendix A of OSHA’s Process Safety Management (PSM) Standard 29 CFR 1910.119 and determine if your workplace has any chemicals that exceed the Threshold Quantity (TQ) identified in this table. Reflect on how your workplace uses aspects of the PSM to ensure a safe workplace? Do you think that the measures at your workplace achieve safety or merely keep the facility in compliance?
Your journal entry must be at least 200 words. No references or citations are necessary.