Risk Management Plan Data Elements

6. Five-Year Accident History

Complete a separate record for each accidental release from covered processes that occurred within the last five years and that resulted in deaths, injuries, or significant property damage on site, or known offsite deaths, injuries, evacuations, sheltering in place, property damage, or environmental damage.

6.1 Date: Indicate the date on which the accident occurred.

6.2 Time: Indicate the time the release began.

6.3 Release duration: Indicate the approximate length of time of the release in minutes.

6.4 Chemical(s): Indicate the regulated substance(s) released.

6.5 Quantity released: Indicate the amount of each substance released in pounds.

6.6 Release event: Indicate with a check mark which of the following release events best describes your accident.

1. Gas Release: A release of the substance in a vapor state.

2. Liquid Spill/Evaporation: A release of the substance in a liquid state with subsequent vaporization.

3. Fire: A product (e.g., fuel) in a state of combustion.

4. Explosion: A rapid chemical reaction with the production of noise, heat, and violent expansion of gasses.

6.7 Release source: Indicate which best describes the source of the release. Check all that apply.

1. Storage Vessel: A container for storing, holding, or transporting a liquid.

2. Piping: A system of pipes used to carry a fluid.

3. Process Vessel: A container in which regulated substances are blended to form a mixture or reacted to convert them into some other final product or form.

4. Transfer Hose: A connection between two or more vessels.

5. Valve: A structure that closes temporarily a passage or permits movement of fluid in one direction only.

6. Pump: A device that raises, transfers, or compresses fluids or that attenuates gases by suction or pressure or both.

6.8 Weather conditions at time of event (if known): This information is important to those concerned with predicting the effects of accidents. Reliable information from those involved in the incident is better information than can be obtained from a meteorological weather station located miles from the incident site. Complete as much of the following as possible.

1. Wind Speed/Direction: Wind speed is an estimate of how fast the wind is traveling. Indicate the speed in miles per hour, meters per second, or knots. Be sure to identify the units of measure. Wind direction is the direction from which the wind comes. For example, a wind that blows from west to east comes from the west. You may describe the direction that the wind blows from as a standard compass reading such as "Northeast" or "South-southwest." You may also describe the direction in degrees with North as zero degrees and East as 90 degrees. Thus northeast would represent 45 degrees, and south-southwest would represent 202.5 degrees. Abbreviations for the wind direction such as NE (for northeast) and SSW (for south-southwest) are also acceptable.

2. Temperature: The ambient temperature at the scene of the accident in degrees Fahrenheit.

3. Stability Class: This is a general indication of the degree of mixing present in the atmosphere accounting for windspeed and sunlight. The designation ranges from "A to F," where "A" represents extremely unstable conditions (high mixing) and "F" represents extremely stable or clam (little mixing) conditions. "F" conditions occur on overcast nights with low wind speeds and "A" conditions occur on clear days at high wind speeds. See the RMP OCA guidance for more information.

4. Precipitation Present: Check yes or no based on whether there was precipitation at the time of the accident.

5. Unknown: If you have no record of weather conditions check this.

6.9 On site impacts: Complete as much of the following as possible about on-site effects.

1. Deaths: Indicate the number of on-site deaths that are attributed to the accident or mitigation activities. On-site deaths means the number of employees or contract employees who were killed during the accident of performing any mitigation activities. What about offsite response contractors?

2. Injuries: Indicate the number of employees or contract personnel who were injured as a result of the accident or mitigation activities. An injury may or may not involve lost work time. An injury means any effect that results either from direct exposure to toxic concentrations, radiant heat, or overpressures from accidental releases or from the direct consequences of a vapor cloud explosion from an accidental release that requires medical treatment or hospitalization. Medical treatment means treatment, other than first aid, administered by a physician or registered professional personnel under standing orders from a physician.

3. Property Damage: Estimate the value of the equipment or business structures (for your business alone) that were damaged by the accident or mitigation activities. Record the value in American dollars. Do not include any losses that you may have incurred by business interruption.

6.10 Known offsite impacts: These are impacts that you are aware of or that were reported to the source. You are not required to conduct additional investigation to determine offsite impacts. Offsite means areas beyond the property boundary of the source or areas within the property boundary to which the public has routine and unrestricted access during or outside business hours.

1. Deaths: Indicate the number of offsite deaths that are attributable to the accident or mitigation activities. Offsite deaths means the number of community members and members of public response agencies who were killed during the accident or performing any mitigation activities.

2. Hospitalizations: Indicate the number of injuries that are attributable to the accident or mitigation activities where community members or members of response agencies required hospitalization due to the injury.

3. Other Medical Treatment: Indicate the number of injuries that are attributable to the accident or mitigation activities where community members or members of response agencies required medical treatment, not including first aid, due to the injury.

4. Evacuated: Indicate the number of members of the community who were evacuated as a result of the accident. A total count of the number of people evacuated is preferable to the number of houses evacuated.

5. Sheltered: Indicate the number of members of the community who were sheltered-in-place during the accident. Sheltering-in-place is the official designation when the incident commander orders community members to remain inside their residence or place of work until the emergency is over to prevent exposure to the substance. Usually these are associated with an emergency broadcast or similar method of mass notification by response agencies.

6. Property Damage: Estimate the value of any property (not belonging to the source) that may have been damaged as a result of the accident. Record the value in American dollars. Include the value of damages to any response equipment.

7. Environmental Damage: Indicate whether any environmental damage occurred and specify the type. The damage is not limited to environmental receptors listed in the rule. Any damage to the environment (e.g., defoliation, water contamination) should be considered. You are not, however, required to conduct surveys to determine whether such impact occurred.

6.11 Initiating event: Indicate with a check mark the initiating event that best describes the cause of the accident, if known.

1. Equipment Failure: A device or piece of equipment did not function as designed.

2. Human Error: An operator performs an operation improperly.

3. Weather Condition: Weather conditions, such as lightning, hail, ice storms, tornados, hurricanes, floods, or high winds caused the accident.

6.12 Contributing factors: These are factors that contributed to the accident occurring but were not the initiating event, if known. Check all that apply.

1. Equipment Failure: A device or piece of equipment did not function as designed thereby allowing a substance to be released.

2. Human Error: An operator performs an operation improperly or makes a mistake resulting in a release.

3. Improper Procedures: The procedure did not reflect the current method of operation, the procedure omitted steps that affected the accident, or the procedure was written in a manner that allowed for mis-interpretation of the instructions.

4. Overpressurization: The process was operated at pressures exceeding the design working pressure.

5. Upset Condition: Release caused by incorrect process conditions (e.g., increased temperature or pressure).

6. By-pass Condition: A pipe or channel that provides an alternate pathway that detours the main pathway fails releasing a substance.

7. Maintenance Activity/Inactivity: This is any failure that occurs because of maintenance activity or inactivity. For example, the pipes remain unpainted for so long that corrosion caused the pipe to fail, or the maintenance mechanic began to repair the wrong pump.

8. Process Design: Any failure that may be design related.

9. Unsuitable Equipment: The equipment used was incorrect for the process.

10. Unusual Weather Condition: Weather conditions, such as lightning, hail, ice storms, tornados, hurricanes, floods, or high winds caused the accident.

11. Management Error: This may be used to describe failures that occur because management did not exercise its managerial control to prevent the situation from occurring. This is usually used to describe faulty procedures, inadequate training, or failure to follow existing administrative procedures.

6.13 Offsite responders notified: Indicate with a check mark whether agencies were contacted.

6.14 Changes introduced as a result of the accident: Indicate with a check mark any measures that you have taken at the source to prevent recurrence of the accident.

1. Improved/Upgraded Equipment: A device or piece of equipment that did not function as designed was repaired or replaced.

2. Revised Maintenance: Maintenance processes were clarified or changed to ensure safe operation and timely maintenance.

3. Revised Training: Training programs were clarified or changed to ensure that employees and contract employees are aware of and are practicing correct safety, process, and administrative procedures.

4. Revised Operating Procedures: Operating procedures were clarified or changed to ensure that employees and contract employees are trained on process operating procedures.

5. New Process Controls: New process designs and controls were installed to correct problems and prevent recurrence of an accidental release.

6. New Mitigation Systems: New mitigation systems were initiated to limit accidental releases.

7. Revised Emergency Response Plan: The emergency response plan was revised.

8. Changed process

9. Reduced Inventory: Inventory was reduced at the source to prevent accidental release.

10. Other

11. None

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