February 7, 2024

SOCMA APPLUADS OSHA’S PROPOSED EMERGENCY RESPONSE STANDARD RULE

OSHA’s Emergency Response Standard final rulemaking was recently published, and SOCMA commends OSHA for considering comments spoken by our members in SBREFA panels and in public comment.  

“The Emergency Response Standard addresses the needs of specialty chemical manufacturers by preventing potential for duplicative regulations and resolving sections of the proposed rule that were unequally burdensome to our members” said Robert Helminiak, Vice President of Legal and Government Relations. 

The rule now has a two-tiered system, that provide different requirements for full time emergency response teams versus ancillary emergency response duties. OSHA also provides exemptions to any part of this standard that overlap with other existing programs, such as HAZWOPR, among other favorable provisions in this rule. 

SOCMA would like to thank members Ascensus Specialties, represented by Matt Manna, and DanChem, represented by Jonathon Draper, and VanDeMark Chemical, Inc., represented by Chris Banach, for testifying before a panel of OSHA and Small Business Administration (SBA) staff in October of 2021. By sharing their unique concerns and perspectives of the specialty chemical industry regarding the proposed new standard, this final rule addressed real concerns for membership. 

Contact gstrand@socma.org for more information on the Final Emergency Response Rule.

About SOCMA 
Solely dedicated to the specialty and fine chemical industry, the Society of Chemical Manufacturers & Affiliates® (SOCMA) builds commercial connections, supports safe manufacturing and operations, and advocates for regulatory and legislative policies for the batch and specialty chemical sector. Our members play an indispensable role in the global chemical supply chain, providing specialty chemicals and services to vital markets ranging from aerospace and electronics to pharmaceuticals and agriculture. For more information on the association, visit https://www.socma.org. 

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