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California Accidental Release Program (CalARP) Public Review

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Workers talking at oil refinery The California Accidental Release Program (CalARP) is designed to minimize the risk of extremely hazardous substances that potentially cause immediate harm to the public and the environment. It requires the owner/operator of a business handling one or more regulated substance over the State and/or Federal threshold to evaluate and determine the potential impacts of an accidental release. Under the CalARP regulations these facilities must submit a Risk Management Plan (RMP) to the UPA. The RMP developed by the facility determines the potential accidental factors; and preventative measures and safeguards are implemented into safe operations. RMP submissions include: safety information, process hazard analysis, hazard review, operating procedures, training, maintenance, compliance audits, incident investigations and other documentation supporting the implementation of the program.

Facilities

Program Levels

Program 1

Processes that contain a regulated material above the State or Federal threshold, but under a worst-case release scenario as defined, would not result in impacting the public and has had no accidents with specific offsite consequences occur within the past five years.

Facilities that are subject to the California Accidental Release Prevention (CalARP) Program are required to submit a Risk Management Plan to Kern County Environmental Health. These plans are available to the public for review by contacting the Kern County Environmental Health Hazardous Materials Programs at 661-862-8740. Each plan describes the prevention programs in place at the facility, hazard assessment, and their emergency response program.

Facilities with operations that are subject to the CalARP Program because of a Program 1 process are required to develop, implement, and maintain the following:

Hazard Assessment
Worst-Case Scenario
Five-year accident history
Emergency Response Program

Program 2

Processes not eligible for Program 1 or subject to Program 3 are placed in Program 2.

Facilities with operations that are subject to the CalARP Program because of a Program 2 process are required to develop, implement, and maintain the following:

Hazard Assessment, including the following:
- Worst-Case Scenario(s)
- Alternative Release Scenarios (more likely to occur)
- Five-Year Accident History
Prevention Programs, including the following:
- Safety Information
- Hazard Review
- Operating Procedures
- Training
- Maintenance
- Incident Investigations
- Compliance Audits
- Management System (that oversees the prevention elements)
Emergency Response Program

Program 3

Processes not eligible for Program 1 and either subject to OSHA’s Process Safety Management standard under Federal or California OSHA programs or described by one of the ten specified North American Industrial Classifications Standards (NAICS) codes (primarily related to petroleum refining or chemical manufacturing).

Processes at a facility that handle a listed chemical above a specified quantity are subject to the CalARP Program. Facilities with operations that are subject to the CalARP Program because of a Program 3 process are required to develop, implement and maintain the following:

Hazard Assessment, including the following:
- Worst-Case Scenario(s)
- Alternative Release Scenarios (more likely to occur)
- Five-Year Accident History
Prevention Programs, including the following:
- Process Safety Information
- Process Hazard Analysis
- Operating Procedures
- Training
- Mechanical Integrity
- Incident Investigations
- Management of Change
- Prestartup Safety Reviews
- Compliance Audits
- Employee Participation
- Contractors
- Hot Work Permits
- Management System (that oversees the prevention elements)
Emergency Response Program

Guidance Documents

Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Preface
Introduction
Chapter 1: General Applicability
Chapter 2: Applicability of Program Levels
Chapter 3: Five-Year Accident History
Chapter 4: Offsite Consequence Analysis
Chapter 5: Management System
Chapter 6: Prevention Program (Program 2)
Chapter 7: Prevention Program (Program 3)
Chapter 8: Emergency Response Program
Chapter 9: Risk Management Plan
Appendix A: RMP Examples
Appendix B: Seismic Assessment Guidelines
Appendix C: Inherently Safer Practices
Appendix D: NAISC Codes
Appendix E: Glossary and Acronyms
Appendix F: Sources of Information
Appendix G: Example Forms
Appendix H: Chemical Emergency Preparedness and Prevention Office (CEPPO)
Appendix I: Security and Vulnerability Assessment Guidelines

Additional Resources