Washington, DC, January 3, 2011 - The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) today announced that it will hold a public meeting on January 20, 2011, in Institute, West Virginia, to present the final report and recommendations from its investigation of the August 28, 2008, chemical processing tank explosion at the Bayer CropScience facility in Institute that fatally injured two workers.
The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the West Virginia State University Wilson Building, Multipurpose Room, 103 University Union, Institute, WV, 25112. The meeting is free and open to the public. Pre-registration is not required, but to assure adequate seating, attendees are encouraged to pre-register by emailing their names and affiliations to [email protected] by January 15.
At the meeting, the CSB investigative team will present its findings on the root causes of the accident to the five CSB board members and the public. The Board will ask questions of the team in front of the audience and will then invite comments from members of the public. Following the presentation of the CSB’s findings and safety recommendations, a panel of outside witnesses will be invited to speak on a number of issues related to the board’s findings and recommendations.
The Board will then vote on the report and its recommendations. The meeting will be videotaped and an official transcript will be included in the investigative file.
CSB Chairperson Rafael Moure-Eraso said, “I encourage members of the community to attend this meeting. We are aware of the importance of our report and recommendations to the residents of the Kanawha Valley and the state of West Virginia. We hope that our conclusions and recommendations will prevent a similar accident from happening and that lives of workers will be saved and threats to communities diminished.”
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 Acting Director of Public Affairs Hillary Cohen, (202) 261-3601, cell (202) 446-8094