Washington DC, July 20, 2009 – A four-member investigative team from the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) is en route to the site of a fire that began Sunday morning in the hydrogen fluoride (HF) alkylation unit at the CITGO refinery in Corpus Christi, Texas.
One worker was airlifted to a burn center in San Antonio as a result of the accident at the 163,000 barrel per day refinery. The alkylation unit was reported to be shut down.
The CSB investigation team will be headed by Investigation Supervisor Robert Hall, PE.
The CSB is an independent federal agency charged with investigating industrial chemical accidents. The agency's board members are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. CSB investigations look into all aspects of chemical accidents, including physical causes such as equipment failure as well as inadequacies in regulations, industry standards, and safety management systems.
The Board does not issue citations or fines but does make safety recommendations to plants, industry organizations, labor groups, and regulatory agencies such as OSHA and EPA. Visit our website, www.csb.gov
For more information, contact Director of Public Affairs Dr. Daniel Horowitz, 202-261-7613, cell 202-441-6074.