April 19, 2004—Managing chemical reactivity hazards in the workplace received a major boost when the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and six organizations involved in the chemical industry signed an alliance with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) on March 30. This follows OSHA’s new initiative on hazard communication in the workplace, and the addition of a “Hazard Communication: Foundation of Workplace Chemical Safety Programs” page on the agency’s Web site.
Joining OSHA and EPA in the alliance are the American Chemistry Council, the American Institute for Chemical Engineers’ Center for Chemical Process Safety, the Chlorine Institute, Inc., the Mary Kay O’Connor Center for Chemical Process Safety, the National Association of Chemical Distributors, and the Synthetic Organic Chemical Manufacturers Association.
The goal of this industry-government alliance is to provide information, guidance, and access to training resources to the group’s members, customers, contacts, and others involved in the manufacture, distribution, use, and storage of chemicals. Together, each organization will provide chemical reactivity hazards management information, methods, and tools to a variety of audiences while gaining experience in the use of methods and tools to continuously improve identification and management of the hazards.
Alliance members will deliver training addressing chemical reactivity hazards at conferences and meetings, and through OSHA’s Training Institute Education Centers. They will develop and disseminate information through both print and electronic media and from each organization’s respective Web sites, including electronic assistance tools. For example, participants will disseminate and raise awareness of the Center for Chemical Process Safety’s (CCPS) publication Essential Practices for Managing Chemical Reactivity Hazards.
