CSB gives petroleum institute a passing grade on safety indicators
Several “serious shortcomings” remain
The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) has formally voted to classify the American Petroleum Institute’s (API) response to the Board’s recommendation to develop an effective system of performance safety indicators as “Open- Acceptable Action.”
The announcement was made today at a two-day public hearing convened by the CSB in Houston, Texas, on the overall subject of applying performance indicators onshore and offshore. API developed Recommended Practice (RP) 754 entitled “Process Safety Performance Indicators for the Refining and Petrochemical Industries,” following a 2007 CSB recommendation “to develop an effective system of indicators to evaluate performance and implement these measures to continually improve the management and control of process safety risks.” The recommendation was issued jointly to the API and the United Steelworkers Union (USW); both groups initially accepted the recommendation but the USW later withdrew from the standards development process citing imbalances in the committee composition.