Call
Ask an Expert
Tel: +1-281-673-2800
Find an Office
Email
Email Us

Process Safety Compliance

We have successfully performed thousands of audits to help clients determine the level of compliance of their existing practices, programs, policies and procedures with respect to numerous rules and requirements. Such standards include those specified in OSHA's Process Safety Management (PSM) of Highly Hazardous Chemicals regulation (29 CFR 1910.119), the EPA's risk management program (RMP) rule (40 CFR 68) and other regulatory or internal company requirements.

Request our Cal/OSHA PSM Regulation for Refineries Toolkit for more information resources focused on the updated process safety management standard requirements.

OSHA PSM and EPA RMP Audits

Our auditors have specific, practical industry experience and deep knowledge in the various PSM/RMP elements that will bring high value to your audits. Our reputation as a leader in this field is confirmed by our role supporting the U.S. Chemical Safety Board on issues of national significance. In addition, our personnel are familiar with issues targeted by OSHA regulators in National Emphasis Programs for both refineries and chemical facilities. Learn more about our Oil, Gas and Chemical solutions.

We have helped companies worldwide over the past 25 years develop and refine their PSM/RMP programs, as well as their corresponding audit protocol to periodically verify compliance with such programs. In many cases, we have provided the entire audit team for one or more audits for a client, ranging from single-person audits to audits involving four to six ABS Group personnel. In other cases, we supply one or more of our auditors to participate on a client-led process safety audit team in order to provide:

  • Third-party involvement
  • Specific subject matter expertise on specific requested elements (e.g., PHA, MI, MOC)
  • Experienced audit team member(s) who can, in addition to auditing a range of assigned elements, assist other audit team members by interpreting PSM/RMP requirements
  • Benchmarking of practices versus those found at other facilities in the industry
  • Coaching to team members on auditing techniques.

In other case, clients ask us to lead a joint process safety audit. This approach is taken for the reasons described above and the value of having a strong audit team leader.

From The Knowledge Center
Process Safety Management Toolkit

OSHA CPL 03-00-021 Compliance Directive

PSM Covered Chemical Facilities National Emphasis Program

The OSHA compliance directive CPL 03-00-021 (PSM Covered Chemical Facilities National Emphasis Program) went into effect on January 17, 2017. This instruction describes an OSHA National Emphasis Program (NEP) for inspecting facilities with highly hazardous chemicals and replaces the old directive number CPL 03-00-014. This OSHA compliance directive now covers both chemical facilities and petroleum refineries, which were covered previously by separate OSHA instructions. Chemical National Emphasis Program (CNEP) inspections will now be conducted in the same manner for all covered facilities. 

Read more regulatory and process safety compliance insights into CPL 03-00-021 from the authors of Guidelines for Implementing Process Safety Management, 2nd Edition (Center for Chemical Process Safety, 2016), and revisit our webinar covering OSHA's revised CNEP.

Process Safety Training and Expertise

In addition, our auditors' expertise in process safety/risk management is confirmed by our roles as instructors/co-instructors in related PSM/RMP training courses for industry organizations as well as our related ABS Group public and private training courses and on various PSM/RMP topics. Visit our Training Center to view the course catalog.

Many of our auditors have written or have technically reviewed more than 20 related industry guidance books that ABS Group has authored on the corresponding process safety and risk management topics for the American Institute of Chemical Engineers' (AIChE's) Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS).

Our Chemical Process Safety Center of Excellence

Our onsite auditors selected for specific projects (in consultation with clients) are also supplemented by, and have access as necessary to, ABS Group's Chemical Process Safety Center of Excellence, which is a worldwide network of experts, resources, and training materials related to a wide variety of regulatory, technical, and industry practice topics on process safety and risk management.

This network allows the auditors access to in-depth expertise/resources that can help augment the individual's knowledge base and/or be researched to provide good industry practices and benchmarking for technical questions that may arise during audits at client facilities.

Next Steps

Request for TrainingRequest for QuoteAsk an Expert

Back to top