By Jeff Davis

Introduction With nearly two decades of experience in the

petrochemical industry specializing in safety compliance, Jeff Davis most recently served as a safety manager at Beacon Energy Services in Signal Hill, California. Jeff Davis has continued to expand his skill set by earning teachers’ certificates from the US Department of Transportation and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

About OSHA OSHA administers regulations and initiatives to

improve workplace safety in many industries. In the chemical industry, safety is of particular importance due to the dangerous nature of some materials encountered by workers. In response to an April 2013 explosion in West, Texas, OSHA established a partnership with the Agricultural Retailers Association and the Fertilizer Institute.

Conclusion The initiative will consist of outreach to over 7,000

companies involved in the agricultural chemical industry. It will include a letter from Department of Labor official Dr. David Michaels exhorting employers to take measures to ensure worker safety. The letter includes useful information such as industry best practices for the handling of ammonium nitrate, the chemical involved in the 2013 accident.