WASHINGTON, August 6, 2026 — The American Petroleum Institute (API) today announced the publication of the fourth edition of API Recommended Practice 754 (API RP 754), Process Safety Performance Indicators for the Refining and Petrochemical Industries. The updated standard continues to provide a consistent framework to help companies track process safety performance, identify warning signs and contribute to the reduction of risk for major incidents, such as hazardous material releases, fires or explosions.
API RP 754 identifies both how to use leading indicators, which can help signal potential weaknesses in key safety systems before an incident occurs, and lagging indicators, which help companies learn from events that have already happened. The tracking and analysis of incidents and leading indicators are critical because process safety incidents can impact workers, nearby communities, the environment, and facility operations. Used together, these indicators can help companies spot patterns earlier and apply lessons learned to strengthen process safety safeguards.
Originally published in 2010 in response to recommendations from the Chemical Safety Board, API RP 754 helped standardize process safety metrics across the oil and natural gas industry, serving as a foundational standard for API’s Process Safety Site Assessment Program and Annual Process Safety Event Survey. It classifies process safety indicators into four tiers: Tier 1 and Tier 2 process safety indicators are suitable for public reporting for companies and for the industry, while Tier 3 and Tier 4 indicators are intended for internal use, as they are unique at individual facilities.
The fourth edition reflects 15 years of industry implementation experience and includes updates to direct cost thresholds for Tier 1 and Tier 2 events to align with inflation; refined guidance for the assessment of fires, explosions and unignited material releases; improved assessment of the relative hazard of unignited material releases; clarified definitions; expanded data capture; and more detailed examples.
“API Recommended Practice 754 gives industry a common approach to measuring process safety performance and identifying opportunities for improvement,” API Senior Vice President of Global Industry Services Anchal Liddar said. “The fourth edition strengthens that approach based on years of real-world use and reinforces API’s ongoing commitment to safety, environmental protection and operational integrity.”
API RP 754 has been widely adopted around the world and draws on technical expertise from a broad range of countries including the US, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, India, Malaysia and Uruguay. The standard is also referenced by other industry organizations such as the International Association of Oil & Gas Producers and the Center for Chemical Process Safety, in their own process safety guidance.
The American Petroleum Institute (API) represents all segments of America’s oil and natural gas industry, supporting nearly 11 million U.S. jobs. With approximately 600 members, API companies produce, process, and distribute the majority of the nation’s energy. Founded in 1919, API has developed over 800 standards to enhance operational and environmental safety, efficiency, and sustainability.
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