Update to the EPA RMP Rule. Part 8: Community Notification

We have completed our review of OSHA’s proposed changes to its process safety standard. Our discussions and analyses are provided in the book The OSHA Process Safety Standard: The 30-Year Update.

The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) is going through a similar update process, as described in the post Updates to the RMP Rule. This is the eighth post in our series in which we review the EPA’s proposed updates. The proposed change that we consider in this post is to do with Employee Participation. (All comments refer to Scope 3 requirements.)

Prevention Program (Subpart E)
Community Notification of RMP Accidents

(1) Requiring non-responding RMP facilities to develop procedures for informing the public about accidental releases.
(2) Requiring release notification data be provided to local responders.
(3) Ensuring a community notification system is in place for notification of RMP-reportable accidents.

OSHA

OSHA does not have an update similar to this one. OSHA is primarily concerned with worker safety and health, not so much with community issues.