Elements of Process Safety Management. Employee Participation (Part 1)

This post is the first in a series that describes some of the elements of process safety management using the fourteen categories provided by OSHA. They continue to use the same categories in their proposed update to the standard, as discussed in our book The OSHA Process Safety Standard: The 30-Year Update. This post discusses the Employee Participation element.

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The OSHA standard and guidance to do with Employee Participation are described in this post.

Standard

(1) Employers shall develop a written plan of action regarding the implementation of the Employee Participation required by this paragraph.

(2) Employers shall consult with employees and their representatives on the conduct and development of process hazards analyses and on the development of the other elements of process safety management in this standard.

(3) Employers shall provide to employees and their representatives access to process hazard analyses and to all other information required to be developed under this standard.

Guidance

Employers are to consult with their employees and their representatives regarding the employers efforts in the development and implementation of the process safety management program elements and hazard assessments. [ Employers must ] train and educate their employees and to inform affected employees of the findings from incident investigations required by the process safety management program. Many employers, under their safety and health programs, have already established means and methods to keep employees and their representatives informed about relevant safety and health issues and employers may be able to adapt these practices and procedures to meet their obligations under this standard. Employers who have not implemented an occupational safety and health program may wish to form a safety and health committee of employees and management representatives to help the employer meet the obligations specified by this standard. These committees can become a significant ally in helping the employer to implement and maintain an effective process safety management program for all employees.

Written Plan of Action