Waste and Cleanup Risk Assessment

When Congress passed the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990, it required EPA to publish regulations and guidance for chemical accident prevention at facilities using extremely hazardous substances. The Risk Management Program Rule (RMP Rule) was written to build upon existing industry codes and standards and requires companies that use certain flammable and toxic substances to develop a Risk Management Program, which includes a(n):

• Hazard assessment that details the potential effects of an accidental release, an accident history of the last five years, and an evaluation of worst-case and alternative accidental releases;
• Prevention program that includes safety precautions and maintenance, monitoring, and employee training measures; and
• Emergency response program that spells out emergency health care, employee training measures and procedures for informing the public and response agencies (e.g the fire department) should an accident occur.

The Risk Management Program is about reducing chemical risk at the local level. This information helps local fire, police, and emergency response personnel (who must prepare for and respond to chemical accidents), and is useful to citizens in understanding the chemical hazards in communities.

Choose a topic at the top of the page to view OEM-related Risk Assessment information.