Worker Health & Safety

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ILTA members have built a strong safety record and continuously work to promote and improve safe working conditions in their terminals. Many companies are recognized for their outstanding safety and health performance. These companies have achieved success in promoting and practicing safety awareness and minimizing workplace incidents and injuries.

While state and local agencies also regulate the environment, the key federal agency for regulating to ensure the health and safety of terminal workers is:

Department of Labor

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

OSHA requires that tank and terminal operators follow about two dozen general, and industry-specific regulations on everything from walking and working surfaces, stairways, construction, personal protective equipment, egress and fire alarms. OSHA and states also conduct enforcement inspections and has some specific regulatory requirements when companies handle hazardous chemicals.

Key rules include:

29 CFR 1910 Subpart H. Hazardous materials
29 CFR 1910.106 Flammable liquids
29 CFR 1910.119 Process Safety Management (PSM)
29 CFR 1910.1200(g) Hazard Communication Standard (HCS)

On Capitol Hill, the main committees responsible for worker health and safety are:

ILTA members are also striving to continuously improve:

ILTA Safety Survey and Recognition Program

ILTA promotes worker health and safety through its Safety Survey and Recognition Program, which captures company injury and illness rates as recorded on OSHA form 300A. ILTA publishes an extensive report on the findings annually to the companies that participated in the survey. The report features analysis and comparison of the injury and illness data against national averages. ILTA further recognizes companies that demonstrate a strong safety culture.

OSHA Process Safety Management

The Occupational Safety Health Administration’s Process Safety Management (PSM) program establishes requirements for the management of hazards associated with certain processes using highly hazardous chemicals. ILTA and its members are examining the use of safety management systems as another step in reducing risks and enabling safer and more reliable terminal operations.