07/25/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 07/25/2024 13:44
Washington D.C. July 25, 2024 - Today, the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) released a new Safety Study titled "Remote Isolation of Process Equipment" that issues recommendations to key regulators and calls for greater use of remote isolation equipment at chemical facilities in the United States.
Based on the agency's investigations of several catastrophic chemical incidents in recent years, the CSB's new safety study concludes that the chemical industry has not fully recognized that the effective remote isolation of process equipment is critical to quickly stopping releases of hazardous materials, which can help prevent fatalities and serious injuries to workers at chemical facilities, reduce damage to the facilities, and better protect communities and the environment.
Over the last several years, the CSB has reviewed and investigated numerous chemical incidents where the consequences escalated dramatically following a loss of containment due to the lack of effective remote isolation equipment. These incidents resulted in serious injuries, fatalities, environmental contamination, and severe damage to facilities and put surrounding communities at great risk. The CSB highlighted the following investigations in the safety study:
The CSB's Safety Study is issuing three safety recommendations, one each to the American Petroleum Institute, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration:
These recommendations are intended to enhance safety measures and mitigate the consequences of incidents like the explosions and fires at chemical facilities by ensuring that necessary and safe remote isolation capabilities are in place to prevent the escalation of releases of hazardous materials.
In addition to the recommendations, the CSB is calling on chemical facilities to immediately assess whether remote isolation should be applied to major process equipment even before formal requirements are put in place in industry standards and federal regulations - and if so, install effective remote isolation equipment in a location that is safe for workers to activate.
The CSB's board members are appointed by the President subject to Senate confirmation. The Board does not issue citations or fines but makes safety recommendations to companies, industry organizations, labor groups, and regulatory agencies such as OSHA and EPA.
Please visit our website, www.csb.gov. For more information, contact Communications Manager Hillary Cohen at [email protected].