The CSB is an independent nonregulatory federal agency created by Congress charged with investigating the facts, conditions, and circumstances and the cause or probable cause of any accidental chemical release that results in a fatality, serious injury or substantial property damage. The CSB’s board members are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate.
Pursuant to its public safety mission, the CSB conducts root cause investigations of chemical accidents . Root causes are usually deficiencies in safety management systems, but can be any factor that would have prevented the accident if that factor had not occurred. Other accident causes can involve equipment failures, human errors, unforeseen chemical reactions or other hazards. The CSB does not issue fines or citations, but makes safety recommendations to companies, industry associations, standards-setting organizations, labor groups, regulatory agencies and others for preventing releases in the future and minimizing their consequences if they occur. Congress designed the CSB to be nonregulatory and completely independent of other agencies so that its investigations can enhance public safety, protect communities, workers, and the environment, and inform industry, regardless of whether the chemical release violates an existing law or regulation. The CSB is the only federal agency with this statutory mandate.
The CSB investigative staff includes chemical and mechanical engineers, industrial safety experts, and other specialists with experience in the private and public sectors. Many investigators have years of chemical industry experience.
After a CSB team deploys to a chemical incident site, investigators begin their work by conducting detailed interviews of witnesses and obtaining documentary materials. Chemical samples and equipment obtained from accident sites are sent to independent laboratories for testing. Company safety records, inventories, and operating procedures are examined as investigators seek an understanding of the circumstances of the accident.
During the course of an investigation, investigators examine evidence, consult with Board members, and review operations and industry practices before drafting key findings and conclusions, root causes, and recommendations. During the process, investigators may confer with plant managers, workers, labor groups, government authorities, and other parties. When a draft report is completed, it is submitted to the Board for review and consideration. Final reports may be adopted through a written vote of the Board or in a formal public meeting.
Since the CSB began operations in 1998, the agency has deployed to roughly 180 incidents involving more than 200 fatalities, over 1,300 injuries, and many billions of dollars in damage to property and the environment. As a result of the agency’s investigations, the CSB has issued more than 1000 recommendations that address the safety issues identified in those investigations and have resulted in safer industry practices that better protect communities, workers, and the environment and safeguard our nation’s critical chemical and petrochemical infrastructure.
In July 2022, as part of the CSB’s new commitment to transparency and information sharing, we began making data from the agency’s Accidental Release Reporting Rule (ARRR) publicly available on the CSB’s website. As of April 17, 2025, the data submitted to the CSB since the ARRR went into effect in 2020 covers reports of 495 chemical incidents involving fatalities at 76 facilities, serious injuries at 268 facilities, and substantial property damage at 232 facilities nationwide. Reportable incidents have occurred in 43 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Volume One of the Incident Reports was released on January 2025 and covers 26 accidental release events in 15 states: California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas. Together, the events resulted in 5 fatalities, 17 serious injuries, and nearly $700 million in property damage. Volume One of the reports is available on the CSB’s website at:
https://www.csb.gov/assets/1/6/csb_incident_reports_volume_one_2025-01-14.pdf.
Volume Two of the Incident Reports was released in March 2025 and covers 25 accidental release events in 14 states: Arkansas, Alabama, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Texas. These serious incidents resulted in 7 fatalities, 23 serious injuries, and approximately $1 billion in property damage. Volume Two of the Incident Reports is available on the CSB’s website at: https://www.csb.gov/assets/1/6/Incident_Reports_Volume_2_2025-03-12.pdf.
Combined, the two volumes cover 51 serious chemical incidents in 22 states, involving 12 fatalities, 40 serious injuries, and over $1.7 billion in property damage.
Recommendations are the CSB's principal tool for achieving positive safety change. Implementation of each safety recommendation is tracked and monitored by CSB staff. When recommended actions have been completed satisfactorily, the recommendation may be closed by a Board vote.
While some recommendations may be adopted immediately, others require extensive effort and advocacy to achieve implementation. Board members and staff work to promote safety actions based on CSB recommendations. In many cases, the lessons from CSB investigations are applicable to many organizations beyond the company investigated. Many CSB recommendations have been implemented in industry, leading to safer facilities, workers, and communities.