News Releases

Statement of CSB Chairman John Bresland Concerning the President's Announcement of New Nominees to the Chemical Safety Board (CSB)

Mar 23, 2010

After two years as chairman and chief executive officer of the U.S. Chemical Safety Board, I plan to step down from that position effective upon the appointment and commissioning of a new chairman by President Obama. I will continue to serve as a board member for the duration of my five-year term, which will end in March 2013.

Following Deadly Explosion at PCA Corrugated Mill in Wisconsin, CSB Issues Safety Bulletin on Hazards of Welding and Other Hot Work

Mar 04, 2010

The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) today issued a safety bulletin warning of the hazards of conducting hot work in a variety of industries and identifying seven key lessons aimed at preventing worker deaths during hot work in and around storage tanks containing flammable materials.

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Seven Key Lessons to Prevent Worker Deaths During Hot Work In and Around Tanks

Mar 04, 2010

The CSB has identified over 60 fatalities since 1990 due to explosions and fires from hot work activities on tanks. Hot work is defined as “[w]ork involving burning, welding, or a similar operation that is capable of initiating fires or explosions.”1 Hot work also includes other activities with the potential to create a source of ignition such as cutting, brazing, grinding, and soldering. Workers are potentially at risk not only in the oil and gas industry, where flammables are handled regularly, but also in many other sectors within general industry, such as food production, paper, and wastewater treatment.

Statement of CSB Investigations Supervisor Don Holmstrom Updating the Public on the CSB’s Investigation of the Catastrophic Accident at Kleen Energy, Middletown, Connecticut

Feb 25, 2010

The safety issues raised by this accident are not limited to Connecticut. These issues are larger than any particular company, facility, or individual. The U.S. has embarked an ambitious construction effort for new natural gas power plants. Thousands and thousands of workers across the country will be involved in constructing these plants. The safety of these workers and the nation’s energy independence are at stake as these gas-fired plants are built over the next 20 years.

CSB Deploying Investigation Team to Fatal Explosion at Kleen Energy Power Plant in Middletown, Connecticut

Feb 07, 2010

Washington, DC, February 7, 2010 – The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) is deploying a seven-person team to the site of a fatal explosion at the Kleen Energy Plant in Middletown, Connecticut. The team is expected on site midday on Monday, February 8. According to media reports, the explosion at approximately 11:30 a.m. resulted in multiple fatalities and injuries and caused off-site damage.

CSB Board Members Vote to Approve Urgent Gas Code Recommendations Following Deadly ConAgra Explosion at Public Meeting in Raleigh

Feb 04, 2010

The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) approved two urgent recommendations that national fuel gas codes be changed to improve safety when gas pipes are being purged (cleared of air) during maintenance or installation of new piping. The recommendations grow out of the CSB’s ongoing federal investigation into the June 9, 2009, natural gas explosion at the ConAgra Slim Jim production facility in Garner, North Carolina, which caused four deaths, three critical life-threatening burn injuries, and other

CSB Budget Justification Fiscal Year 2011

Feb 01, 2010

For fiscal year (FY) 2011, the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) requests a budget of $12.71 million, an increase of $2.16 million above the FY 2010 operating budget of $10.55 million1 and $1.91 million above the president’s request. 2

Board Votes to Initiate Investigation on Accidents at DuPont Chemical Facility in Belle, West Virginia

Jan 25, 2010

Washington, DC, January 25, 2010 – The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) today voted to initiate an investigation of recent accidents at the DuPont chemical complex in Belle, West Virginia, following a release of highly toxic phosgene on Saturday that fatally injured a veteran operator.

CSB to Investigate Laboratory Explosion at Texas Tech University Chemistry Department

Jan 19, 2010

The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) will investigate the causes of a January 7 explosion that severely injured a graduate student at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. The CSB planned to collect information on several laboratory accidents for a future study on the topic.

CSB to Hold Feb. 4 Public Meeting in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Fatal 2009 Gas Explosion at the ConAgra Slim Jim Plant

Jan 14, 2010

Washington, DC, January 14, 2010 - The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) today announced that it will be holding a public meeting on Thursday, February 4, 2010, in Raleigh, North Carolina, to present preliminary findings from its investigation of the June 9, 2009, natural gas explosion and ammonia release at the ConAgra Food Slim Jim facility in Garner, North Carolina, that killed four workers and injured seventy others.

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