Federal chemical safety investigators approve of several actions taken by petrochemical giant BP -- particularly efforts to ensure workers can lodge safety complaints without fear of retaliation -- in the wake of the deadly 2005 explosions at the company's refinery in Texas City, TX.
September 16, 2026
OSHA should work to close identified gaps in regulations to better safeguard above-ground storage tanks, federal chemical safety experts looking into the circumstances of a 2009 gasoline tank explosion in Puerto Rico say.
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A powerful coalition of agribusiness trade groups urged House lawmakers Wednesday (Oct. 7) to pressure OSHA into reversing course on a controversial interpretation of the agency's rule to prevent chemical process disasters, just as congressional Republicans took OSHA to task for a field guidance they say vastly expands the rule's reach without any formal avenue for public feedback.
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A key Senate panel on government oversight will formally request that OSHA rescind several guidance documents that have far-reaching implications for the agency's rule designed to prevent chemical disasters, and then go back to the drawing board with a public rulemaking process, Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) tells Inside OSHA Online.
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Industry sources say OSHA has been consulted regarding possible changes to the Environmental Protection Agency's Risk Management Plan (RMP) for industrial accident prevention, and while EPA says the review is still on track, advocates are concerned officials may miss an announced September deadline for proposing revisions.
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Vanessa Sutherland, the new chair of the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) and a former federal regulator, says she is already forging ties with top OSHA officials to talk about current and future policy recommendations that could help shape the regulating body's approach to facility safety.
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OSHA has drafted early regulatory text creating new standards aimed at protecting emergency responders that brings into play elements similar to those in injury and illness prevention programs -- the first iteration of what officials hope will evolve, with stakeholder help, into an actual proposed rule in the coming years.
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The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is criticizing a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) facility security program, faulting the agency's assessment of and enforcement against facilities that pose risks -- shortcomings that safety activists say should prod federal regulators to impose strict process safety requirements.
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Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and a coalition of public health groups are urging senators to take up the House-approved Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) reform bill, saying an alternative pending Senate TSCA bill contains too many problematic provisions including sweeping preemption of state chemicals programs.
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OSHA's recent decision to place the DuPont chemical company in its controversial Severe Violator Enforcement Program (SVEP) and slap the employer with new fines following a deadly leak last fall in Texas shows the agency's determination to use its chemical safety emphasis program to continually cite employers accused of widespread and potentially ongoing hazards.
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