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January 22, 2010

Lynn L. Bergeson, “OSHA Kicks Off the ‘Chemical NEP’,” Environmental Quarterly Management, Winter 2009.

Bergeson & Campbell, P.C.

With little fanfare, the United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has rolled out its much anticipated “PSM Covered Chemical Facilities National Emphasis Program.” This one-year pilot program, launched in July 2009, focuses on facilities’ compliance with the OSHA Process Safety Management (PSM) standard,1 which aims to blunt the hazard of fires or explosions resulting from releases of “highly hazardous chemicals.” This “Washington Watch” column reviews the new pilot program and assesses the implications of the program for regulated facilities.