OSHA STUDYING PETROCHEMICAL WORKER SAFETY

Worker safety in U.S. petrochemical plants is getting increased scrutiny by the Bush administration.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration awarded a $448,636 grant to John Gray Institute for a national study of safety and health issues affecting contractor and company employees in selected petrochemical businesses.

Meantime, OSHA seeks public comment on proposals from the International Labor Organization dealing with safety in chemical use in the workplace, which could significantly affect U.S. chemical operations and exports.

SAFETY, HEALTH STUDY

The study by John Gray Institute, part of the Lamar University system, Beaumont, Tex., could result in recommendations to be considered by the petrochemical industry as well as changes in OSHA enforcement policies.

No information gathered in preparing case studies or received from study respondents is to be used as the basis for OSHA enforcement actions, however.

The two part study is to be complete Mar. 30, when John Gray will submit a preliminary report to OSHA for review. The institute will prepare a final report in April.

First part of the study will be an analysis of industry-wide information on safety performance of contractor, subcontractor, and operator employees at plants in selected petrochemical businesses.

The second, concurrent, part of the study will involve developing six to 10 case studies providing a detailed analysis of safety and health issues as they relate to employment of contract employees at specific plants.

A steering committee consisting equally of representatives from organized labor, the petrochemical industry, and outside specialists in chemical engineering, occupational medicine, and industrial relations will provide input for the study.

THE ISSUES

Among the issues the study will deal with are:

To what extent the industry relies upon contractor employees.

The nature of contractor employee work.

The amount of short term vs. long term contract work.

The amount of safety and health training for contractor employees.

Whether companies or contractors assume responsibility for training contractor employees.

Whether company health and safety standards apply to contractor employees.

Who provides direct supervision of safety and health compliance among contractor employees.

How injury and illness incidence rates are recorded by petrochemical plants and their long term contractors.

How injury and illness rates compare for short term vs. long term contractors at plants.

Whether plants make an effort to determine the safety record of contractors prior to hiring.

ILO PROPOSALS

ILO proposes to set international requirements for transmitting chemical hazard information through labels, material safety data sheets (MSDS), and training, as well as for other elements of a chemical safety program, such as exposure monitoring and medical surveillance.

OSHA wants comments on the effect of different national requirements for transmitting chemical hazard information and on prospects for harmonizing those requirements internationally.

"OSHA's hazard communication standard (HCS) is the primary U.S. rule in this area," said Assistant Labor Sec. Gerard F. Scannell. "The ILO proposals, if adopted, could have considerable impact on the chemical hazard information received in this country and on the information American chemical exporters send to other nations."

OSHA's HCS rule provides right to know protection to more than 30 million American workers in about 3.5 million facilities where chemicals are used.

"The HCS is performance oriented," OSHA said. "It tells employers what they have to do to comply but gives them the flexibility to determine how they will do it.,,

Differing, sometimes less flexible, international standards sometimes oblige U.S. companies shipping chemicals abroad to change labels and MSDSS.

"Differences in the information transmitted could affect the protection of workers, increase the burden of training workers, and put an extensive compliance burden on exporting firms, which presents a possible technical barrier to trade," OSHA said.

OSHA also seeks information on the effect of other nations' hazard communication laws on U.S. hazard communication practices.

COMMENTS SOUGHT

OSHA wants comments on:

How the ILO proposals relate to current chemical safety practices in U.S. workplaces.

How the proposals relate to the current U.S. practice of providing MSDS information to community representatives for community right to know and emergency response programs.

What changes in U.S. law would be required to implement the ILO proposals, and which alternatives to U.S. law would ensure U.S. practices are consistent with international standards.

Suggestions for amending the ILO proposals.

OSHA will share the comments received with the U.S. worker and employer representatives on the ILO committee on chemical safety.

ILO is expected to act on the proposals at its 1990 International Labor Conference in June. Deadline for comments is Mar. 23. OSHA's notice was published in the Jan. 22 Federal Register.