Washington, DC, February 23, 2005 - The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board has temporarily postponed its public meeting on the investigation of three chemical incidents at the Honeywell refrigerant plant in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The meeting, which had been scheduled for Wednesday, March 2, at the Holiday Inn Select in Baton Rouge, will be rescheduled after new information has been reviewed. The new meeting time and location will be announced in the Federal Register and posted on the agency website, CSB.gov.
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.