CSB Celebrates 25 th Anniversary

Agency Leadership Highlights Progress in Reducing Report Backlog

Washington, D.C. January 4, 2023 – Today, the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation
Board (CSB) marks its 25 th anniversary. Established by the Clean Act Amendments of 1990, the
CSB began operations on January 4, 1998.

CSB Chairperson Steve Owens said, “The CSB is a small agency, but it has a very big – and
very important – mission: to help ensure that chemical facilities are operated safely and that
communities, workers and the environment are protected from chemical disasters. The CSB has
made a huge difference over the last 25 years, but it has faced a number of challenges recently,
including a long-standing backlog in investigations reports. We are working hard to rebuild and
revitalize the CSB, and we are reducing the report backlog.”

Owens and Board Member Sylvia Johnson joined the CSB in February 2022. Owens was named
the CSB’s Interim Executive in late July after the former CSB chair resigned, and at the same
time he was nominated by President Biden to be the new CSB Chairperson.

Since that time, the CSB has made major progress in reducing the report backlog. The CSB
completed and issued six investigations reports over a five-month period at the end of 2022 –
after not issuing any reports for over ten months before then. The six reports are:

• Loy Lange Box Company Pressure Vessel explosion in St. Louis, MO (final report released 7/29/2022)
• Sunoco Logistics Partners Flash Fire (final report released 9/28/2022)
• Philadelphia Energy Solutions (PES) Refinery Fire and Explosion, Philadelphia, PA (final report released 10/12/2022)
• TPC Group Chemical Plant Explosions and Fire, Port Neches, TX (final report released 12/19/2022)
• Kuraray America Release and Fire, Pasadena, TX (final report released 12/21/22)
• Husky Energy Refinery Explosion and Fire, Superior, WI (final report released 12/29/2022)

Along with completing and releasing the six final investigation reports, the CSB also issued
updates on five other investigations during the last four months of 2022. The agency previously
had stopped providing such updates during 2021.

Additionally, in September 2022, the CSB deployed a team to investigate the fatal fire and
explosion at the BP-Husky Refinery in Ohio. Before this, the CSB had not undertaken a
deployment in 14 months.

During the last three months of 2022, the CSB also released three new safety videos, which to
date collectively have been viewed nearly 2.5 million times on YouTube. Most notably, the
agency’s video on the PES Refinery fire and explosion, received one million views in the first
week after its release, more than any other CSB video has ever received in such a short time.

Further, the CSB has taken important actions to increase transparency and provide more
information to the public.

Among other actions, the CSB has begun posting data on chemical incidents reported to the CSB
under the agency’s Accidental Release Reporting Rule, which went into effect in 2020. As of
December 26, 2022, the data covers 224 chemical incidents that resulted in 31 fatalities, 126
serious injuries and substantial property damage to more than 100 chemical facilities nationwide.
“We believe that the public has a right to know about chemical accidents that occur in their
communities,” CSB Chairperson Owens said.

In addition, beginning in late July, the CSB has reinstated public comments at CSB Board
meetings. The prior chairperson had stopped taking public comments at the meetings.

Board Member Sylvia Johnson said, “The CSB maintains its focus to deploy and move reports
forward. Utilizing all our resources, we know that the agency can continue to stay on target and
complete additional investigations in the first half of this year. We look forward to a productive
and successful year.”

The CSB is an independent federal agency charged with investigating incidents and hazards that
result, or may result, in the catastrophic release of extremely hazardous substances. The agency’s
core mission activities include conducting incident investigations; formulating preventive or
mitigative recommendations based on investigation findings and advocating for their
implementation; issuing reports containing the findings, conclusions, and recommendations
arising from incident investigations; and conducting studies on chemical hazards.

The agency'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 Hillary.Cohen**At_Symbol_Here**csb.gov