A recent well publicized Ohio fatality highlights the simple truth that the oil and gas industry can be a dangerous business. This has been recognized by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, better known as OSHA, which is charged with making sure that all workers perform their work in as safe an environment as possible. Historically sporadic enforcement of OSHA standards in the Ohio oil and gas industry may be coming to an end. This bulletin explains the information you need to know to be prepared for your company's next OSHA inspection.

Washington, DC, September 18, 2008 - A fire and series of explosions at the Barton Solvents Des Moines, Iowa, chemical distribution facility on October 29, 2007, was caused by a static electrical spark resulting from inadequate electrical bonding and grounding during the filling of a portable steel tank, the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) determined in a final report today.

OSHA’s National Emphasis Program (NEP) (1) is now well underway, with 17 of 81 targeted refineries having been reviewed so far (2). OSHA launched the NEP in 2007 after the deadly incident at BP Texas City. As of March this year, OSHA claims to have uncovered 146 violations so far and recommended nearly $1 million in fines.

Regulatory requirements such as OSHA 1910, industry codes and practices coupled with an international drive for more cost effective preventative maintenance are leading industry toward data information management systems to assist in organizing and prioritizing preventive maintenance strategies. This shift coincides with the movement toward a risk based inspection approach to plant condition management. This approach ranks units or individual equipment according to criticality or risk, allowing inspection efforts to be focused where they can have the greatest effect in risk reduction. There are a number of points to bear in mind when planning to implement a plant condition management system.

Since OSHA began issuing citations under the Process Safety Management (PSM) standard (29 CFR 1910.119), the relative frequency of citations related to some subsections of the regulation has increased dramatically, while the frequency of others has decreased just as dramatically. Has OSHA changed its focus over time? Will there be new trends in the future? These issues can be better understood by looking at citation history and the continuing deadlines built into the regulation.

The United States Department of Labor (USDOL) Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standard 29 CFR 1910.119, "Process Safety Management of Highly Hazardous Chemicals," has been in effect since may of 1992. To enforce this standard, OSHA has targeted seven industries for which it plans and conducts routine compliance inspections.

Equipment maintenance methods and philosophies continue to evolve. What has taken many by surprise is the rate of change and the sense of urgency that now surrounds issues related to Mechanical Integrity (MI) in the field of maintenance management.

Never have I known or read of anyone, who sought out wisdom, to regret it, nor to help but benefit from it. Wouldn't you agree, wisdom recognizes, holds onto, operates out of and values timeless, tried and true principles that can be, and should be applied to any and every area of our lives?

LOTIS utilizes laser profilometry to conduct internal steam reformer tube inspections. The data captured by LOTIS is exceptionally powerful when combined with our LifeQuest™ remaining life assessment capabilities, providing an integrated solution set for the process and syngas industries.