Process Safety Management of Highly Hazardous Chemicals is a regulation promulgated by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).[1] It defines and regulates a process safety management (PSM) program for plants using, storing, manufacturing, handling or carrying out on-site movement of hazardous materials above defined amount thresholds. Companies affected by the regulation usually build a compliant process safety management system and integrate it in their safety management system. Non-U.S. companies frequently choose on a voluntary basis to use the OSHA scheme in their business.
The PSM regulation was the culmination of a push for more comprehensive regulation of facilities storing and/or processing hazardous materials, which began in the wake of the 1984 Bhopal disaster. The regulation was promulgated by OSHA in 1992 in fulfilment of requirements set in the 1990 amendments to the Clean Air Act.[2][3] The EPA followed suit with a similar and complementary regulation in 1996.[3]