Process Safety Management
Louisiana Petrochem operates under a formal Process Safety Management (PSM) program structured per OSHA 29 CFR 1910.119 and EPA's Risk Management Program (RMP, 40 CFR Part 68). Both programs are audited triennially by an independent third party; our most recent audit closed in November 2024 with zero major findings.
Performance Metrics (2023)
| Metric | LPRC | API/AFPM Benchmark (refining peer) |
|---|---|---|
| Tier-1 PSE rate | 0.08 | 0.13 |
| Tier-2 PSE rate | 0.21 | 0.34 |
| OSHA TRIR (employees + contractors) | 0.41 | 0.55 |
| Days-Away-Restricted-Transfer (DART) | 0.18 | 0.27 |
| Process-safety drills completed | 164 | n/a |
PSE = Process Safety Event (API RP-754). Rates per 200,000 work-hours.
Hazardous Materials & Right-to-Know
Louisiana Petrochem maintains a current Tier II Hazardous Materials report filed with the Louisiana State Emergency Response Commission (SERC) and the St Charles Parish LEPC, listing on-site inventories above the EPCRA 311/312 reporting thresholds.
Community RTK requests — including current Tier II reports, EPA Risk Management Plan executive summaries, and air-permit (Title V) public-facing information — may be requested at the Right-to-Know request page or by writing to ehs@louisianapetrochem.com.
Air & Water Compliance
- Air permit
- Title V Operating Permit No. 0560-00136-V8, LDEQ Office of Environmental Services. Renewed Feb 2023, valid through Feb 2028.
- Water permit
- LPDES No. LA0036245; outfall 001 (treated process water to Mississippi River); outfall 002 (stormwater). Monitored monthly per LDEQ DMR.
- Title V continuous monitoring
- CEMS on SRU tail-gas incinerator, CCR regen heater, and main flare stack. Real-time data submitted via LDEQ EDMR.
- Flare minimization
- Plant flare rate target < 0.02% of total gas throughput. Achieved 0.011% in 2023.
Emergency Response
The plant maintains a 24/7 emergency-response team trained to NFPA 472 Hazardous Materials Technician level. Mutual-aid agreements with the St Charles Parish Fire Department, Norco-Destrehan industrial mutual-aid group, and Marathon Garyville. Annual full-scale joint exercises with neighboring petrochemical facilities and parish emergency management.
Workforce Safety
- Stop-Work Authority — every employee and contractor empowered to halt any task that cannot be performed safely, without reprisal.
- Behavior-based safety observations — 24,000+ recorded in 2023 across all departments.
- OSHA VPP Star site since 2014, re-certified 2022.
- Contractor safety pre-qualification through ISN, PEC, or Avetta; minimum EMR < 0.95 required for fixed-equipment contractors.
Direct any specific safety inquiry to ehs@louisianapetrochem.com or the 24-hour control-room line, (504) 555-0182.