What are CSB recommendations?
Recommendations are suggestions for actions to specific parties, issued with the intention of future accident prevention. They are based on the lessons derived from each investigation or study, and can be found at the conclusion of each report.
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Who are the recipients of CSB recommendations?
Recommendations may be issued to a variety of appropriate parties, including federal, state or local regualatory, executive or legislative bodies and agencies, specific firms or establishments, equipment manufacturers, trade associations, trade unions, statndards development organizations, professional organizations, safety organizations, research and educational institutions, emergency response organizations and public interest groups.
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Do recipients follow CSB recommendations?
Yes. Although CSB recommendations are not mandatory, they provide realistic and effective solutions for protecting environmental and workplace safety and health. Recipients generally understand that complying with CSB recommendations can help prevent similar incidents.
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How does the CSB evaluate responses from recommendations recipients?
Each recommendation is monitored by CSB staff from the time it is issued to closing. CSB staff evaluate recipient responses, and the Board votes to assign status designations to recommendations based on staff evaluation. Recommendations are considered "open" while in progress and "closed" when evidence of appropriate action has been provided. The CSB website is continually updated with each recommendation's status.
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What do the status designations for each recommendation mean?
The CSB assigns a status to each recommendation after reviewing the recipient's actions or proposed actions. Below is a brief explanation of the categories with abbreviations in parentheses.
Open - Awaiting Response or Evaluation/Approval of Response (O - ARE/AR) - The recipient has not submitted a substantive response, or the evaluation by CSB staff of a response is pending, or the Board has not yet acted on staff recommendation of status.
Open - Acceptable Response or Alternate Response (O - ARAR) - Response by recipient indicates a planned action that would satisfy the objective of the recommendation when implemented, including a written timetable for completion.
Open - Unacceptable Response/No Response Received (O - UR) - A response to the recommendation has not been received within 270 days of issuance or the recipient responds by expressing disagreement with the need outlined in the recommendation. The Board believes, however, that further dialogue or advocacy may persuade the recipient to act.
Closed - Acceptable Action (C - AA) - The recipient has successfully completed action on the recommendation. The action taken was as specified by the Board in the original recommendation.
Closed - Acceptable Alternative Action (C-AAA) - The recipient has successfully completed action on the recommendation. The action taken was approved by the Board as an acceptable alternative to the original recommendation language that meets the objectives envisioned by the Board.
Closed - Exceeds Recommended Action (C - ERA) - Action on the recommendation meets and surpasses the objectives envisioned by the Board, in a manner that enhances the extent of reduction of future risk.
Closed - Unacceptable Action/No Response Received (C - UA/NRR) - A response to the recommendation has not been received within 270 days of issuance or the recipient response by expressing disagreement with the recommendation or offers an alternative response that the Board does not view as an acceptable alternative. In addition, the Board concludes that further dialogue or advocacy will not persuade the recipient to act.
Closed - No Longer Applicable (C - NLA) - Due to subsequent events, the recommended action no longer applies (e.g., the facility was destroyed and not rebuilt, or the company went out of business).
Closed - Reconsidered/Superseded (C - R/S) - Recipient rejects the recommendation based on a rationale with which the Board concurs. Reasons for this status may include, for example, situations when later facts indicate that the conclusions of the Board should be modified, that concerns expressed in the recommendation were addressed prior to the incident, when a recommendation should have been directed to a different recipient, or when a recommendation is superseded by a new, more appropriate recommendation.
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Where can I go for more information about CSB recommendations?
To view all recommendations issued pursuant to a specific CSB investigation or study, to see all recommendations that have been issued to a particular recipient, or to find the status of a specific recommendation, please use our Recommendations Search Module.
For general information about the number of recommendations the CSB has issued and the number that are in an "Open" or "Closed" status, please see Recommendation Statistics.
For the policies governing the issuance, tracking, and status changes of CSB recommendations, please see Board Order 22.
Media representatives should contact [email protected].
Please note that the CSB cannot provide technical advice or recommendations related to specific activities, operations, or equipment and will not respond to inquiries of this nature.
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