News Releases

CSB Announces June 28 Public Hearing in Connecticut on Kleen Energy Explosion

Jun 03, 2010

Pipe Cleaning Practices that Led to Kleen Energy Explosion Are Common Across Gas Energy Industry, Survey Data Show

May 19, 2010

Washington, DC, May 19, 2010 – The practice of using flammable natural gas to clean power plant piping, which led to the fatal explosion at Connecticut-based Kleen Energy on February 7, has been commonly used across the gas-fired power generating industry, CSB investigators said today.

CSB Receives Prestigious European Process Safety Award for Safety Videos

May 12, 2010

The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) has received the prestigious European Process Safety Centre (EPSC) Award 2010 for the CSB Safety Video series, Centre officials announced today. The award is given to acknowledge “progress toward a less-hazardous Europe” and is made to an individual or team which “has considerably advanced the theory or practice of process safety.”

Board Member William Wark Statement on Recent Oil Site Fatalities

Apr 28, 2010

The CSB is deeply concerned about the recent surge of accidents at oil and gas production sites across the country. We take seriously any chemical accident that fatally injures members of the public. It is the CSB’s view that companies should take proper precautions to ensure that oil and gas production sites are secured properly, with fencing, gates and warning signs to prevent access by teenagers and young adults who are attracted to the sites as secluded places at which to socialize.

CSB Requests Public Comment on National Academy of Sciences Study on Use of Toxic Methyl Isocyanate (MIC), Inherently Safer Technology Alternatives

Apr 26, 2010

Washington, DC, April 26, 2010 — In a Federal Register notice published April 23, the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) announced it is seeking public comment on the design of a Congressionally mandated study on the use of methyl isocyanate (MIC) in the manufacturing of certain pesticides, and the feasibility of implementing safer alternatives to protect workers and the public from a potential release.

CSB Investigators Determine that Oklahoma Oil Site Where an Explosion Killed a Member of the Public April 14 was Unsecured, Unfenced, and Likely Lacked Explosion Warning Signs

Apr 23, 2010

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, April 23, 2009 — A fiery explosion that took the life of a 21-year-old member of the public in Weeletka, Oklahoma, on April 14 occurred at an unattended oil and gas production site that was unsecured and likely lacked fire or explosion warning signs, CSB investigators have determined following a four-day field assessment. Investigators arrived in Weleetka on Sunday evening and have been examining the site, conducting witness interviews, and gathering other information throughout the week

CSB Examining Fatal Oil Site Explosion in Weleetka, Oklahoma; Probe Follows Recent Release of Safety Video and Board Call for Greater Protections at Oil and Gas Sites

Apr 21, 2010

Washington, DC, April 21, 2009— The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) announced today it has sent investigators to a fatal explosion which occurred April 14, 2010, at an oil site in Weleetka, Oklahoma. The CSB team is headed by Investigations Supervisor Don Holmstrom who leads the CSB’s regional office Denver, Colorado. A 21-year-old member of the public died of burns sustained in the explosion and fire.

CSB Releases Video “No Place to Hang Out” Focusing on Deaths of Teenagers in Oil Site Explosions

Apr 13, 2010

Told through the eyes and voices of grieving and concerned parents, friends, and local officials, the newest CSB safety video, “No Place to Hang Out: The Danger of Oil Sites,” tells the story of the tragic deaths of 18-year-old Wade White and 16-year-old Devon Byrd, killed October 31, 2009, when an oil tank, located in a clearing in the woods near the home of one of the boys in the rural town of Carnes, suddenly exploded.

CSB Investigative Team Deploying to Fatal Tesoro Refinery Accident in Anacortes, Washington

Apr 02, 2010

Washington DC, April 2, 2010 - A four-member investigative team from the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) is deploying to the scene of an explosion and fire overnight in a naphtha hydrotreater unit at the Tesoro refinery in Anacortes, Washington.

Statement from CSB Chairman John Bresland on 5th Anniversary of Fatal BP Texas City 2005 Explosion

Mar 23, 2010

Five years ago today, at about 1:20 p.m., a series of explosions rocked the BP Texas City refinery during the restart of a hydrocarbon isomerization unit. Fifteen workers were killed and 170 others were injured. Many of the victims were working in or around work trailers located near an atmospheric vent stack. The explosions occurred when a distillation tower flooded with hydrocarbons and was over- pressurized, causing a geyser-like release from the vent stack. The hydrocarbons found an ignition source and exploded.

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