Dates: Aug 6, 2013
Dr. Georges A. Melhem was one of a select few providing expert testimony in a recently decided case between BP Products North America and OSHA. OSHA alleged willful violations of various subsections of 29C.F.R. § 1910.119, the Process Safety Management (PSM) standard. Dr. Melhem provided expert testimony on behalf of BP contesting several citations related to pressure relief design, design practices, and recognized and generally accepted good engineering practices (RAGAGEP). BP’s win is a big win for the industry as it affirms companies have discretion in how they elect to comply with performance based standards such as Process Safety Management (PSM). More importantly, it affirms that substantial efforts that would have been required across the board to modify existing relief systems that had inlet pressure drop in excess of 3% can now be focused more prudently on only those installations where modifications will actually reduce risk.
If you would like a copy of the ruling for this case, please contact us today.