News Releases

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.

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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.

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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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CSB Releases Board Voting Information and Board Orders on CSB.gov

Jan 08, 2010

Washington, DC, January 8, 2010 – As part of an ongoing effort to increase transparency and promote public understanding of the agency’s work, the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) today began publishing voting records of the Board and copies of Board orders that govern agency operations.

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CSB Issues Urgent Recommendations to CITGO; Finds Inadequate Hydrogen Fluoride Water Mitigation System during Corpus Christi Refinery Fire Last July

Dec 09, 2009

Houston, Texas, December 9, 2009 – The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) today issued urgent safety recommendations calling on CITGO to immediately improve its emergency water mitigation system in the event of another release of potentially deadly hydrogen fluoride (HF) vapor, as occurred following an explosion and fire July 19, 2009, at CITGO’s Corpus Christi refinery. The Board also called on CITGO to perform third-party audits to ensure the safety of its hydrogen fluoride units at its Corpus Christi, Texas, and Lemont, Illinois, refineries.

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CSB Investigative Team to Examine Fatal Explosion at NDK America Inc. near Rockford, Illinois

Dec 08, 2009

Washington, DC, December 8, 2009 – The U.S. Chemical Safety Board is deploying an investigation team to the site of an explosion that occurred Monday afternoon at the NDK America Inc. plant, a manufacturer of quartz crystals in Belvidere, Illinois, approximately 60 miles northwest of Chicago.

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Statements of CSB Chairman John Bresland and CSB Investigations Supervisor Don Holmstrom Updating the Public on the Investigation of the Nov. 4 Explosion at the Silver Eagle Refinery in Woods Cross, Utah - November 17, 2009

Nov 17, 2009

Statements of CSB Chairman John Bresland and CSB Investigations Supervisor Don Holmstrom Updating the Public on the Investigation of the Nov. 4 Explosion at the Silver Eagle Refinery in Woods Cross, Utah​

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CSB Conducting Full Investigation of Massive Tank Fire at Caribbean Petroleum Refining; Investigative Team Plans to Thoroughly Examine Facility Safety Practices

Nov 17, 2009

Bayamon, PR, November 17, 2009 – The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) today announced that it will be conducting a full investigation of the October 23, 2009 explosion and fire at Caribbean Petroleum Refining. CSB investigators continue to examine the events and circumstances surrounding the catastrophic tank explosion and fire.

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Statement of U.S. Chemical Safety Board Chairman John Bresland - Friday November 13, 2009

Nov 13, 2009

The CSB investigative team has been continuing its investigation of the hydrogen gas explosion at the Silver Eagle refinery in Woods Cross on November 4. Our preliminary findings indicate that the explosion occurred when a 10-inch pipe failed catastrophically. Although the failure mechanism has yet to be determined, the pipe showed evidence of significant thinning which had not been detected by the refinery’s mechanical integrity program.

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Safety Message: Without Safeguards, Pressure Vessels Can Be Deadly

Nov 09, 2009

Improperly installed or modified pressure vessels have led to a number of serious chemical accidents. Eleven states still don't require adherence to the ASME pressure vessel code. All states and localities should adopt this code and related boiler standards; lives will be saved as a result. That's the CSB chairman's safety message for Monday, November 9, 2009.

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