Washington, DC, June 25, 2010 – Dr. Rafael Moure-Eraso has been confirmed and appointed as the new chairman of the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB), the agency announced today; Mr. Mark Griffon has been appointed as a new board member, filling the other vacancy on the Board.
The new chairman and board member were nominated by President Obama on March 22, 2010. They were discharged from the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on June 17 and confirmed by the full Senate on June 23. They were appointed and commissioned by the president the following day.
Outgoing Chairman John Bresland said, “I greatly look forward to working with the new appointees; their diverse backgrounds and deep dedication to workplace safety will serve as an invaluable resource for the board as we enter a time of profound challenge and opportunity.”
Mr. Bresland has now stepped down from the chairman position but will continue to serve as a board member for the remainder of his five-year term, which runs through March 2013.
Dr. Moure-Eraso has until now served as Chair and Head of the Department of Work Environment, School of Health and Environment, University of Massachusetts, Lowell. He has 30 years of experience in workplace safety issues and is a certified industrial hygienist. He received a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Pittsburgh and a master’s degree in chemical engineering from Bucknell University. He received a Ph.D. from the University of Cincinnati in Environmental Health-Industrial Hygiene.
Mr. Griffon has been working as a consultant in the environmental and occupational health field for 18 years. Mr. Mark Griffon is also a member of the Federal Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health under the Energy Employees Occupational Illness and Compensation Program Act (EEOICPA). Mr. Griffon holds a B.S. in Chemistry from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and an M.S. in Radiological Sciences from University of Massachusetts.
Both new appointees will participate in the CSB’s upcoming public meeting to release urgent recommendations from the Kleen Energy investigation on Monday, June 28, 2010, at 6:30 pm in Portland, Connecticut. Dr. Moure will preside at the meeting.
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 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. Please visit our website, www.CSB.gov.
For more information, contact Board Affairs Specialist Amy McCormick at (202) 261-7630.