Washington D.C. December 27, 2023 – Today the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) announced that it has completely eliminated its long-standing backlog of investigations. Since late July 2022, the CSB has issued a total of 17 final investigation reports, more than the agency has ever issued in such a short period. Six of the reports were issued in the last few months of 2022. The other 11 reports were issued this year.
CSB Chairperson Steve Owens said, “When I became the CSB’s interim executive in late July 2022 after the former CSB chairperson resigned, the CSB was faced with an unacceptable backlog of 17 open investigations and uncompleted reports that had built up over many years, dating as far back as 2016. But the other CSB Board Members and I were determined to conclude these investigations and issue the reports as quickly as possible. Eliminating the backlog has taken an extraordinary effort by every single employee at the CSB, working together as a team. We are committed to continuing to move the CSB forward and making sure that such a serious backlog never happens again.”
Since late July 2022, the CSB has released the following 17 investigation reports:
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Board Member Sylvia Johnson said, “Over the last 2 years the focus of CSB board members has been on eliminating the long-standing backlog. Now that these legacy reports are out, we are better positioned to deploy to chemical incidents across the country and complete future reports more efficiently. The entire CSB team is to be commended for the agency reaching this historic milestone.”
Board Member Catherine Sandoval said, “The CSB has worked together as an effective team, eliminating the investigation backlog through its dedication, diligence, and expertise. We look forward to continuing to move our remaining open investigations forward and to addressing chemical safety challenges in a timely manner.”
The CSB’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 [email protected]