July 25th, 2025

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CSB applauds oil refinery safety report

Moure-Eraso, chair of the US Chemical Safety Board, has lauded praise on a draft report released by California’s Interagency Working Group on Refinery Safety.

The findings and recommendations contained in Improving Public and Worker Safety at Oil Refineries marked an “important step” towards bolstering oil refinery safety and environmental performance, he said.

Mr Eraso was speaking after details of the initiative, undertaken by California Governor Jerry Brown, were unveiled.

The draft report outlines the process of adopting several CSB recommendations made in the wake of an explosion and fire at the Chevron Refinery in Richmond, CA.

The CSB’s interim investigation report on August 6, 2012, recommended that refineries implement inherently safer systems and conduct damage mechanism hazard reviews.

Interagency refinery task force in the pipeline

Improving Public and Worker Safety at Oil Refineries also outlines plans for the creation of an Interagency Refinery Task Force. The group would be charged with improving coordination of oversight and enforcement activities by regulatory agencies.

In a statement, Mr Eraso commented: “This proposal is aligned with a CSB recommendation contained in its interim report to the California State Legislature to establish a multi-agency process safety regulatory program to improve public accountability, transparency, and performance.”

Mr Eraso went on to “commend” plans to hire additional safety inspectors to triple inspection capacity.

“The proposed activities on behalf of the State of California are a very positive step towards preventing future incidents across the state and help to establish California as a national leader in refinery and process safety.

“Not only are more preventative inspections by highly competent inspectors needed, but more rigorous major accident prevention requirements are necessary as well.”

He continued: “In this regard, the CSB also welcomes the draft report’s recommendation to the Governor’s Task Force to study the safety case approach, a rigorous goal-setting and prescriptive regulatory regime used widely overseas.

“The safety case approach is distinguished by its adaptability and requirements for continuous risk reduction for high hazard industrial facilities. The CSB is in the process of completing a second investigation report on the Chevron incident that examines the substantial advantages of the safety case model in driving risk to as low as reasonably practicable, or ALARP.”

The full version of Improving Public and Worker Safety at Oil Refineries report is expected to be released later this year.

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