Washington, DC, October 23, 2009 – A six-person team from the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) is deploying to the site of a major explosion and fire at a petroleum storage facility near San Juan, Puerto Rico, that occurred early Friday. Reports indicate that a number of large petroleum storage tanks are on fire at the Caribbean Petroleum Corporation facility in Bayamon.
CSB Investigator Jeffrey Wanko, PE, CSP, will lead the team which is expected on the island late this evening.
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, please contact government/public affairs representatives (on scene) Hillary Cohen at (202) 446-8094 cell or Amy McCormick at (202) 640-8945 cell.