Tag: CSB

Hazardous chemicals

CSB Proposes Regs on Chemical Release Incident Reporting

The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) has proposed a rule that would require owners and operators of stationary sources to report basic information about accidental chemical releases.

Fireworks over Honolulu

RCRA Emergency Permits and Safe Disposal of Waste Fireworks

In 2013, the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) reported on an explosion and fire that occurred in 2011 at a fireworks disposal magazine in Hawaii in which five personnel were killed. According to the CSB, the use of equipment that could cause a spark likely ignited black powder that had accumulated inside […]

Chemical plant workers, piping

CSB Cites Chain of Failures in DuPont Plant Deaths

A “chain of failures” in emergency response and process safety management led to the November 2014 deaths of four workers following a methyl mercaptan release at the DuPont Plant in La Porte, Texas, according to the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB).

Oil Refinery

CSB to EPA: Action Needed on Hydrofluoric Acid at Refineries

Explosions at two petroleum refineries in 2015 and 2018 resulted in a high level of alarm in the neighboring communities about the possibility of releases of clouds of hydrofluoric acid (HF) or modified HF (MHF) into those communities. The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) investigated both incidents and also held public meetings […]

Safety consensus, meeting, agreement, chemical plant

CSB Highlights Consensus Standards to Promote Safety

The U.S. Chemical and Safety Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) recently released a Safety Spotlight recommending that employers closely apply industry consensus standards to safeguard employee and public safety. Titled “The Importance of Industry Safety Guidelines, Codes, and Standards,” the report highlights the CSB’s role in accident investigation and focuses on several safety codes and standards […]

Industry combustible dust

Combustible Dust: A Call for Action from the CSB

The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) is once again drawing attention to the hazards of combustible dust in the workplace. As part of its investigation into a May 2017 explosion at a milling facility in Cambria, Wisconsin, which fatally injured five workers and demolished the facility, the CSB has issued a call […]

Incident Investigation

CSB Investigations: The Importance of Worker Participation

Worker participation in industrial chemical accident investigations is a high priority at the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB), which recently issued a Board Order Addendum that establishes the CSB’s policy on such participation.

Industrial fire training for refinery or chemical plant fire brigade or fireman

Start-Up/Shutdown Incidents Can Be Prevented, Says CSB

Explosions and fires at oil refineries and chemical facilities are far more likely to occur during equipment start-ups and shutdowns, notes the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) in a recent Safety Digest. Workers are typically the first line of victims when such incidents occur. In the Digest, the CSB describes three start-up/shutdown […]