The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and Safe Tank alliance agreement was recently renewed to encourage increased employee access to safety and health information on tank entry, cleaning, maintenance and rescue operations, and duties within and around petroleum and petrochemical liquid storage tanks.
"Our alliance has made successful strides in developing resources to protect the safety and health of petroleum industry employees," said Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Edwin G. Foulke Jr. "OSHA looks forward to working with the Safe Tank signatories to further our efforts of encouraging continued improvement in workplace safety and health."
The OSHA and Safe Tank alliance consist of API, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the Steel Tank Institute/Steel Plate Fabricators Association (STI/SPFA). Through the alliance, the association's representatives developed the "Fall Prevention for Aboveground Storage Tanks Fact Sheet" that offers general safety tips for preventing fall-related injuries to employees working in and around aboveground storage tanks. API and NFPA staff and members serve on the editorial boards of the Oil and Gas Well Drilling and Servicing, and Confined Spaces Safety and Health Topics pages. Additionally, API representatives participate on the editorial board of the Oil and Gas Well Drilling and Servicing eTool.
"The API is pleased to extend the alliance for another two years and into our fifth year," said senior policy advisor for safety and security issues William J. Erny. "The OSHA and Safe Tank alliance have been an extraordinarily rewarding experience and one in which API and its members are excited about continuing. Through our collective efforts, industry and OSHA can make a difference in the working lives of people and their families through education and growing awareness on safety in the workplace."
"NFPA welcomes the opportunity to renew the very successful OSHA and Safe Tank Alliance as it enables us to continue the good work we have started," said James M. Shannon, president and CEO, NFPA. "This partnership brings together industry and OSHA to develop safety tools and educational programs that immediately benefit workers. Through the alliance, we are also able to collaborate on dissemination of this key safety information to ensure it reaches the broadest worker population."
STI/SPFA executive vice president Wayne Geyer stated, "STI/SPFA members believe safety is a value and our participation in the OSHA and Safe Tank alliance furthers that assurance. We are concerned about our members' employees, their customers, subcontractors, the public and the environment."
API is a trade association for the U.S. oil and natural gas industry whose guiding principles include safety and health as a priority in the planning and development of new products and processes. As an international advocate of fire prevention, NFPA's mission is to reduce the burden of fire and other hazards by developing and promoting scientifically based consensus codes and standards. STI/SPFA provides services to suppliers and fabricators of steel tanks, pressure vessels, specialty products and piping for the petroleum, chemical, food and water storage industries.
