CSB Urges Greater Use of Remote Isolation Equipment at Chemical Facilities

Greater use of remote isolation equipment can improve safety at chemical facilities and help mitigate the consequences of loss-of-containment incidents like explosions and fires, the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board concludes in a new safety study. According to CSB, remote isolation equipment can allow a chemical release to be quickly stopped from a safe location, helping to prevent injuries and fatalities among workers as well as reducing facility damage. CSB describes the lack of effective remote isolation as “a critical factor” in the severity of several major chemical incidents it has investigated over the years. The safety study report focuses on six industrial accidents—one that occurred in 2005, one from 2007, and four from 2019—and calls on regulators to make changes to existing requirements to address the need for remote isolation capabilities at chemical facilities.

Three recommendations stem from CSB’s report. One of the recommendations has to do with OSHA’s process safety management standard, which CSB urges the agency to update by expanding requirements related to process hazard analysis. For example, CSB recommends that OSHA require affected facilities to evaluate the need for remote isolation devices for major process equipment that can be remotely or automatically activated during a chemical release. CSB also calls on EPA to update its risk management program rule with similar requirements. CSB’s third recommendation is directed to the American Petroleum Institute, which develops petroleum, natural gas, and petrochemical equipment and operating standards. API should revise its industry guidance to apply to chemical and petrochemical facilities in addition to refineries, and the guidance should detail conditions that necessitate the installation of remote isolation equipment, CSB states. A separate section of the study report focuses on these conditions.

Additional topics related to remote isolation covered in the report include recommendations from the National Transportation Safety Board, regulatory guidance from the U.K.’s Health and Safety Executive, and other global perspectives.

To learn more, see CSB’s news release. The safety study can be downloaded as a PDF.