EPA proposes changes to Risk Management Program regulations for chemical facilities

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently proposed updating its Risk Management Program (RMP) regulations, which govern safety planning for chemical facilities, following a review of the current regulations and input from industry stakeholders and the public.

According to the EPA, facilities covered by the RMP regulations were responsible for more than 1,500 accidents in the past 10 years, which caused more nearly 60 deaths and approximately 17,000 people to seek medical treatment, as well as $2 billion in damages.

“Chemicals are a necessary part of our everyday lives; however, as we have too often seen they can cause loss of life, injury and significant property damage,” EPA Office of Land and Emergency Management Assistant Administrator Mathy Stanislaus said. “It is these dangers that we are working to prevent and minimize as we propose revisions to the RMP, such as improving our prevention program requirements, ensuring coordination with first responders, and ensuring that accident planning protects local communities that need to evacuate or shelter-in-place during an accident.”

The EPA’s proposed changes to the RMP regulations would improve chemical process safety, improve the abilities of local emergency authorities to plan and respond to incidents and improve awareness of the chemical hazards at regulated facilities.