The Regulations and Standards Committee (RSC) is organized to facilitate safer working environments. The RSC will focus on producing succinct specific guidelines for industrial implementation. See the working paper below.

The EED’s Regulations and Standards Committee (RSC) is organized to review, evaluate, sponsor new systems and approaches that facilitate safer working environments.

The goal is to support the rapid implementation of processes that are sensitive, and responsive to changing safety and environmental regulations and standards including the ability to monitor and evaluate actual performance and compliance. Emphasis is on performance and compliance by any organization, at any level, in the most efficient manner possible striving to avoid duplication while maximizing understanding and contributions by front line operations personnel. This must involve the recognition that one cannot evaluate environmental cleanup technologies and/or strategies without considering, in an integral manner, the impacts associated with the implementation of such technologies or strategies. More specifically, environmental cleanup decisions are typically based on the reduction of an existing risk without due consideration of risks to the public and to workers as well as economic, social and other types of risks that may result from the cleanup activities. Credible decisions about environmental cleanup need to also consider these other types of risks.

Industry is struggling to be in compliance and to get new technologies out of the research environment and into US plant operations. The cost of ensuring that all the rules are being followed is dominating the performance of many companies. The efficiency of accomplishment is constrained by liability issues. Safety related problems and permitting are common to private sector, DOE, DOD and others in the areas of worker risk, cleanup and worker safety. Measurement of real safety processes is a requirement; it is not an option that some company brochure saying the proper words is sufficient. Training is another area of major importance. What type of training is needed for workers? Is the training in the appropriate language? Is the training being understood and applied by front line personnel? How is this being measured? OSHA specifies adequate and appropriate training is required or the company could be liable.

The RSC program will focus on producing succinct specific guidelines for industrial implementation to :

• optimize organizational safety performance
• worker risk with cleanup and,
• the effective use of field implementation tools

The goal is to provide a direct, streamlined systematic approach with implementation strategy and tools to evaluate, assess and adjust the overall safety and compliance posture of a business, facility, site, division, group, etc. using front line personnel. This approach will also minimize variations across the organization because the guidelines are focused on end user operations. Applied properly, it will reduce costs. ASME’s role will be to provide professional (PE’s, other professionals) and professional society (ASME) endorsement and backing to the development and review of the end user guidelines. RSC will champion implementation and validation through the private sector.

The objective is to offer a generic operational safety and compliance assessment product that allows up-front evaluation (by workers answering a series of questions) and documentation of existing operational processes in a manner that does not create an additional layer of bureaucracy. The approach will be built around the use of case studies to more effectively illustrate the product and its capabilities.

The product and approach are a data-driven, generic process fed by a standard set of questions generated by subject matter experts (SMEs) and answered by front line workers for any particular area. The product will be implemented through a web-based software system/package that documents the data and allows queries. The product is envisioned to be a generic process that can be adapted by small businesses or large businesses to assess safety issues associated with various operations activities in any business sector. The system's generic nature will enable it to be adapted to any business, facility, or organization. It will be supportive of DOE's Integrated Safety Management System (ISMS) and could reduce safety assessments from 2-3 days to 2-3 hours. The system could also provide a strong linkage to Behavioral Based Safety in support of the insurance and banking industries. These industries could look to the ASME for assessing whether a company is good for a loan or liability coverage.

The system will build on what is already being done on a daily basis through the use of structured implementation tools that allow repeated use of the data collected. The SMEs would be identified by ASME and would ensure the accuracy of data. Front line operations people will be actively involved and provide the answers to the questions. Data would be documented and used in a software system package for further use and evaluation. For changes in regulations, standards, etc., only the areas that have changed would have to be queried. The system addresses more than just technology or technical issues. It addresses safety, health, training, permitting, regulation changes, process, technology and technical issues and changes. It could also serve as the corporate memory and procedures all in one and be an excellent way of documenting lessons learned.

Implementation tools could include items such as Technology Summary Data Sheet (TSDS), Emergency Response Data Sheet (ERDS), Beta Corporation International’s software package system (web based) Palm Pilot, and Conduct of R&D and Operations procedures.

The RSC is the ASME champion for this system and will work closely with other ASME Divisions during validation and implementation of the product.