A working group of federal agencies has issued a fact sheet* on progress made to improve the safety and security of chemical facilities in the United States.

The fact sheet updates last year’s report by the working group that was formed as a result of President Obama's Executive Order 13650 in August 2013. The Executive Order directed six government agencies to coordinate their efforts to prevent chemical plant disasters such as the April 17, 2013, West Fertilizer Co. explosion in Texas that killed 15 people and injured 160 others.

• Hosted a public webinar attended by more than 600 participants, including representatives from Congress, GAO, and the media
• Developing an on-line training module on the key requirements under Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act
• Identifying government approved training courses for first responders and emergency planners, found in the Training Repository
• Institutionalizing a Federal Working Group to improve communication and coordination between agencies
• Establishing Regional Working Groups in all ten Federal Regions
• Incorporating chemical facility safety and security data into the EPA's facility registry service
• Reissuing the Chemical Advisory: Safe Storage, Handling, and management of Ammonium Nitrate to incorporate stakeholder comments and concerns and the latest practices in ammonium nitrate safety
• Launching actions to modernize OSHA's Process Safety Management Standard and EPA's Risk Management Program

More information is available on OSHA's website.