America’s Safest Companies, reactive chemicals & ASSP’s new standard

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What’s going on in EHS this week? Find out with Safety at the Frontline! 

Tune in on Mondays to get the latest safety news with Frontline’s podcast. We’re covering the top EHS news, along with some quick and useful tips, so you can stay safe and keep rocking on the frontlines. 

America’s safest companies 

I’m sure you all follow EHS Today, they’ve been selecting “America’s Safest Companies” since 2002. If you believe your company provides world-class workplace safety standards, you can apply to be honored among America’s Safest Companies. 

For your company or organization to be considered: 

  • Aside from being headquartered in the US, you must provide 
  • A top-down approach to safety 
  • Innovative solutions to safety challenges, 
  • Lower than average injury and illness rates 
  • A comprehensive training program; 
  • Good communication, among other things. 

Applications are considered for a whole company or organization, rather than a single branch so if you think your company has what it takes, don’t forget to apply till July 1st. 

CBS calls on OSHA & EPA 

Our next news is on chemical safety. Chair and CEO of the Chemical Safety Board, Katherine Lemos called on OSHA and the EPA to strengthen their standards on reactive chemicals. A recent CBS investigation of the fatal incident that took place in AB Specialty Silicones, in 2019 found that two incompatible chemicals were mixed during the production of an emulsion product, producing flammable hydrogen gas that triggered the explosion. Lead investigator Vonzella Vincent says AB Specialty Silicones lacked a process safety management program at the time of the incident. 

The CSB offers multiple recommendations to the agencies. 

To OSHA they recommend to; Amend the standard on process safety management of highly hazardous chemicals to achieve more comprehensive control of reactive hazards that could have catastrophic consequences. 

And to Augment the process hazard analysis element of the standard to explicitly require an evaluation of reactive hazards. 

As for the EPA, they recommend to; Revise the accidental release prevention requirements to explicitly cover catastrophic reactive hazards that have the potential to seriously impact the public, including those resulting from self-reactive chemicals and combinations of chemicals and process-specific conditions. 

ASSP’s new standard 

Last news of the week is about ASSP’s newly published voluntary national consensus standard. It outlines a balanced measurement approach, using leading, lagging, and impact metrics. As you all may know, Safety and health performance are usually measured by tracking incidents with lagging metrics. With ASSP’s combined and balanced approach, organizations can be proactive in preventing injuries, illnesses, and many other incidents. 

Since we mention ASSP, it’s also worth pointing out that The Safety 2022 Conference is fast approaching. It’s going to take place at the end of June in Chicago along with a virtual conference so don’t forget to register if you’re interested. 
Don’t forget to subscribe to our podcast for more EHS updates, and in the meantime, stay safe and stay tuned for next week.

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