HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 09161997 - C53 CONTRA COSTA
_ .....--...... . COUNTY
TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
FROM: Leslie Stewart, Chair
Hazardous Materials Commission and
William B. Walker, M.D., Director
Health Services Department
DATE: September 16, 1997
SUBJECT: Encouragement of Use of Inherently Safer Principles to Improve Industrial Safety
SPECIFIC REQUEST(S)OR RECOMMENDATION(S)&BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION
RECOMMENDATION:
DECLARE the intent of the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors to encourage industrial facilities to
implement "Inherently Safer Principles" in design and operations where feasible.
DIRECT the Health Services Director to distribute the brochure"Inherently Safer Principles" to
appropriate industrial firms in the County, and
AUTHORIZE the Chairman and the Health Services Director to sign an accompanying letter.
BACKGROUND:
Industrial incidents in the county continue to be a matter of concern to The Board of Supervisors, the
Hazardous Materials Commission, residents, and the business community. Dr. Paul Hill's report, Incident
Response in Contra Costa County, presented to the Board in July of this year, concluded that we have"one
of the most unique and advanced systems of hazardous materials response and notification in the United
States," and that the County"is providing an advanced level of service to its citizens not observed in many
other areas of the country." The report particularly complemented the County for advancing and
implementing the concept of root cause analysis as a way to identify how to make facility operations safer.
The Commission has reviewed additional methods of preventing and/or lessening the impact of industrial
incidents: the application of"inherently safer principles" at facilities which use hazardous materials.
Inherently safer principles offer an approach to the design of safer manufacturing facilities. These principles
include:
o siting hazardous materials as far away from populations as reasonably possible;
o using materials that are less hazardous where feasible;
o reducing the amount of hazardous materials stored on site; and
o designing and using proven equipment and safeguards.
SIGNATURE: �.Eli�llSIGNATURE:
Hazardous Materials Comm' iont"gi� Health Services Director
i
CnNTINIIFn QN ATTACHMFNT• YFS
RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE
APPROVE _OTHER
SIGNATURE(S):
ACTION OF BOARD ON_ September 16, 1 997 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED OTHER
X APPROVED the recommendations as set forth above and 11EFER%ED back to the
VOTE OF SUPERVISORS Hazardous Materials Commission inclusion of "inherently safety transport'
in the next iteration. I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE
UNANIMOUS (ABSENT_____) AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN
AYES: NOES: AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD
ABSENT: ABSTAIN: OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN.
Contact Person:Elinor Blake 370-5022
CC:Hazardous Materials Commission(via HSD) ATTESTED September 16, 1997.
Health Services Department PHIL BATCHELOR,CLERK OF THE BOARD OF
SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR
BY DEPUTY
Bard of Supervisors Page 2
Encouragement of Use of
Inherently Safer Principles to Improve Industrial Safety
September 16, 1997
Inherently safer principles should be considered during all stages of a project, from initial design and placement
to modifications and upgrades.
Some of our local facilities have already put the principles into practice. The Center for Process Safety of the
American Institute of Chemical Engineers has issued several publications on the topic to guide facility
managers and staff, and the Health Services Department's Accidental Release Prevention Team in the
Hazardous Materials Division can also provide information to them.
To further publicize and encourage this approach to improving safety, the Commission has worked with
Health Services staff to prepare a brochure and cover letter (attached).
FISCAL IMPACT
Less than $300, funded by current Hazardous Materials fees.