NPRA Seeks Cooperation on Safety Issues at Refineries and Petrochemical Plants

11-Jun-10

Operators of petroleum refineries and petrochemical plants want to work closely with federal agencies, labor unions and others to make further progress in preventing injuries and fatalities at their facilities, the president of NPRA, the National Petrochemical & Refiners Association, told a Senate subcommittee. The NPRA president cited a list of specific safety improvements refineries have made over the past five years, including moving structures at refineries to safer locations, making more buildings blast-resistant, keeping as many workers as possible away from areas during hazardous operations, and improving operating procedures and worker training. Personnel safety is involved with protecting the safety, health and welfare of the people who work in refineries and petrochemical plants. Process safety, which is equally important, involves making sure that a facility operates properly. That means maintaining the equipment in a way that will avoid chemical releases and other incidents that could harm people, the facility itself, or the surrounding area.