NPRA ’07: New US safety coalition plans training

25 March 2007 18:29  [Source: ICIS news]

SAN ANTONIO, Texas (ICIS news)--A newly formed chemical and refining industries’ process safety coalition plans to conduct national training conferences in a bid to prevent further catastrophic accidents, a senior industry official said on Sunday.

 

Rick Brown, vice president for petrochemicals at the National Petrochemical & Refiners Association (NPRA), said the new safety coalition formed earlier this month planned an industry-wide survey of the status of process safety in refining and chemicals manufacturing.

 

The coalition met for the first time on 6 March in Houston, Texas and included 25 industry representatives from NPRA, the American Chemistry Council (ACC), the American Petroleum Institute (API), the Synthetic Organic Chemical Manufacturers Association (Socma) and the Center for Chemical Process Safety.

 

The industry coalition was triggered in part by the March 2005 explosion and fire at the BP refinery in Texas City, Texas, that killed 15 workers and injured some 180 others.

 

US federal investigators have said that BP was focused on personal safety among workers and failed to deal adequately to maintain and improve process safety.

 

“We are going to take a look at our industries now and determine the state of process safety, and then see where and how we can make improvements,” Brown said, speaking on the sidelines of the 32nd annual NPRA petrochemicals conference.

 

“Our industry has already done a great deal to improve safety, but we want to take a good look to see where we can make improvements,” he said.

 

Brown said the coalition planned to hold ongoing meetings and expected to convene a series of training conferences across the country to provide improved process safety training.

 

Democrat leaders in Congress were still considering legislation to tighten federal access to and supervision of US refineries and petrochemical plants. 

 

Asked if the industry coalition hoped to avert further regulatory supervision by moving to improve safety by itself, Brown said that regardless of what Congress may do, the industry would work to improve safety in co-operation with federal regulators.

 

The NPRA petrochemicals conference runs through Tuesday.

By: Joe Kamalick
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