BakerRisk at the 32nd Annual EHS Seminar

Join BakerRisk at the 32nd Annual Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) Seminar and Industry Trade Show on June 3-6, 2019 at the Moody Gardens Convention Center in Galveston, Texas.

Visit our new exhibit at Booth #512, which will include updated presentations and videos on many of our services.

Click here to view an interactive layout of the Exhibit Hall!

In addition to the exhibit, BakerRisk will be participating in the Technical Program for the “PSM Emerging Trends” session, (Track A), on Thursday, June 6 in the Expo A1 hall, shown below:

Quentin Baker, BakerRisk President and Senior Principal Blast Effects Engineer, will kick off with his presentation, “CCPS Incident Investigation Book, Third Edition” from 8:00 AM – 9:00 AM.

Abstract:

This presentation will discuss improvements for the third edition of the CCPS book, Guidelines for Investigating Chemical Process Incidents. These includes updates to methodologies used to investigate process incidents, attitudes about investigation focus and practices, technological developments, regulatory agency expectations, and legal rulings regarding admissibility of evidence and expert opinions. Major revisions in the book include: increased emphasis on investigating near-miss and minor incidents; global applicability; and flexibility in the investigation approach for varying regulatory, industry, cultural, and situational considerations. The book was extensively reorganized and consolidated to follow the logical sequence that an operating company would follow to organize their investigation management system, respond to an incident, determine causal factors, determine root causes, develop recommendations, and communicate the findings.

Bob Gombar, who serves as General Counsel for BakerRisk, follows shortly after with “OSHA Does Not Specify RAGAGEP – OSRC’s Recent Decision in BP Products North America – Underscores that Point and More” from 11:15 AM – 12:15 PM.

Abstract:

In an interpretation letter issued in March, 2000, OSHA explained that PSM is a ‘performance oriented standard’ and the ’employer has flexibility in complying with the requirement of PSM, Including [RAGAGEP]….OSHA does not specify or benchmark [any specific code of standard] as the only [RAGAGEP for dealing with a given engineering, inspection, or mechanical integrity situation].”  Nevertheless, in the BP Products case, OSHA specified that a specific engineering practice was the only RAGAGEP for dealing with a particular engineering situation involving pressure relief valves.  The Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission disagreed, stating that because the ‘PSM standard is a performance-oriented standard…the most relevant source of RAGAGEP is the one on which the employer relied….’.  This presentation will explore the importance of the OSHRC’s BP Products decision on compliance with the PSM Standard.

Finally, John Dyer, Senior Principal Structures Engineer, will present “Risk-based Building Design and Upgrades” from 1:45 PM – 2:45 PM.

Abstract:

The risk-based approach to building structural design has become an important tool to mitigate risk from industrial facility hazards, particularly explosions. As Quantitative Risk Assessments (QRAs) become the standard in facility hazard prediction, building models have to go beyond estimating blast damage and include predictions for potential injuries. Risk provides a more realistic measure of the level of protection in a building than the worst consequence, which is the output of Facility Siting Studies (FSS). Risk-based upgrades are intended to reduce risk to a tolerable level. The approach is to mitigate building damage (or other consequences) to reduce risk to a tolerable level rather than a negligible level (consequence-based approach). Hazards need to be weighed by their frequency which is done in QRAs. The risk-based approach is an efficient way of evaluating cost-benefit of improving (upgrading) buildings and very useful in prioritizing mitigation strategies. This paper highlights key aspects of the risk-based approach and areas where its use can be an important tool in facility siting and risk mitigation.

Our experts are looking forward to meeting you and discussing these presentations as well as other process safety topics of your concern. Register today: http://www.ehs-seminar.com/aws/TCC/pt/sp/EHS_registration