Washington, DC, April 17, 2009 - The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) announced today the panel of outside witnesses who will be speaking at the April 23, 2009, public meeting in Institute, West Virginia. At the meeting the Board will be releasing preliminary findings into its investigation of the August 28, 2008, chemical processing tank explosion at Bayer CropScience which fatally injured two workers.
The meeting will begin at 6:30 pm at the West Virginia State University Wilson Building in Multipurpose Room 103. Following the presentation from the investigation team, the board members will hear testimony from the following individuals:
- Nick Crosby - Vice President, Institute Site Operations, Bayer CropScience
- Dennis Hendershot - Chemical Process Safety Expert
- Sterling Lewis - West Virginia State Fire Marshal
- Maya Nye - People Concerned About MIC
- Dale Petry - Director of Emergency Services, Kanawha County Commission
- Michael J. Flynn - Director, Occupational Safety and Health and Apprenticeship, International Association of Machinists (IAM)
"The CSB appreciates the participation of all of the panel members and we look forward to learning from their perspectives. We anticipate a very informative meeting," said CSB Chairman John Bresland.
At the public meeting the CSB investigation team will present their preliminary findings. The Board will ask questions of the team, hear the testimony of the panel participants, and facilitate comments from members of the public.
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].
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 facilities, 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 or Public Affairs Specialist Hillary Cohen, (202) 261-3601.