Potential Martinez Industrial Safety Ordinance Focus Of Study Session

MARTINEZ, CA — The Martinez City Council will hold a study session Wednesday on a possible Martinez Industrial Safety Ordinance, or MISO.

Without express additional action by a city, the county only has the legal authority to implement its own industrial safety ordinance — ISO — in unincorporated areas immediately adjacent to the city such as the PBF Martinez Refining Company.

The Martinez City Council has previously indicated to staff an interest in pursuing an ISO.

The November 2022 spent-catalyst incident at PBF Martinez Refining Company — which is almost entirely within unincorporated county territory —and subsequent incidents have highlighted the value of having an ISO and the protections it can afford the community both in preventing accidents and also in helping shape appropriate corrective action should a subject incident occur, city staff wrote in an agenda report prepared for the meeting.

While an ISO cannot prevent an accident from ever happening, it can help reduce incidents, the severity of incidents and also provide for the regulatory and legal authority to conduct investigations, identify corrective actions, and help ensure safer operations moving forward, city staff wrote.

During the workshop which begins at 6 p.m., the City Council will also hear a presentation from the Contra Costa County Hazardous Materials Program with more specifics on what an ISO can mean for both the community and subject operators.

More details are in the study session agenda, embedded below.