Oil & Gas

Washington – California should strengthen its process safety management regulations for refineries, the Chemical Safety Board stated in a final report on a fire at a Chevron refinery in 2012.

Sacramento, CA – A new California law intended to improve the state’s access to petroleum companies’ safety records has drawn the ire of some free-speech activists, who claim employers can use the law to limit public access to certain documents.

Washington – The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement is requesting public feedback until Nov. 24 on how to improve helicopter-related safety on fixed offshore facilities for oil and gas operations on the Outer Continental Shelf.

New Orleans – The Chemical Safety Board has the authority to investigate the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion in the Gulf of Mexico, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed in a ruling issued Sept. 18.

Washington – Workers who gauge tanks during oil and gas extraction flowback procedures may be exposed to dangerous levels of benzene and other volatile chemicals, according to NIOSH.

Bismarck, ND – OSHA is sending additional inspectors into North Dakota as part of an enforcement emphasis program intended to address worker safety concerns in the state’s high-hazard industries.

Washington – The U.S. Coast Guard has extended its deadline to Sept. 8 for public comment on a proposed rule that would expand maritime safety training requirements.

Washington – A series of failures on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig that led to a fire and explosion in the Gulf of Mexico could be experienced on other rigs currently in operation, a draft report from the Chemical Safety Board warns.

Washington – A rule listed on the Department of Labor’s spring 2014 regulatory agenda is intended to address problems with the administration of the Black Lung Benefits Act, through which miners receive compensation for disabilities related to pneumoconiosis – also known as “black lung” disease.