Category: CSB Investigation

CSB Releases New Video Footage Documenting Extent of Community Damage from Explosion in West, Texas‏

~ Jack Benton ~ Leave a comment

Washington, DC - Today the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) released a new three-minute compilation of video footage showing the extensive community damage from the ammonium nitrate fertilizer explosion on April 17 in West, Texas.  The explosion led to at least 14 deaths and injured around 200 others.  The narrated video collected by CSB investigators … Continue reading CSB Releases New Video Footage Documenting Extent of Community Damage from Explosion in West, Texas‏

Update! Reglatory Confusion & Oversight Lead To West Fertilizer & Chemical Company, West Texas Explosion & Fire

~ Jack Benton ~ Leave a comment

Courtesy of MSNBC All In Part 1Courtesy of MSNBC All In Part 2 Before 270 tons of ammonium nitratet exploded at a West, Texas, fertilizer plant last Wednesday, the Department of Homeland Security “did not even know the plant existed,”  ranking Republican on the DHS House committee Bernie Thompson said Monday.According to Reuters, 270 tons of ammonium … Continue reading Update! Reglatory Confusion & Oversight Lead To West Fertilizer & Chemical Company, West Texas Explosion & Fire

How Chevron Richmond, California Refinery Fire Happened, As Shown In New CSB Video

~ Jack Benton ~ Leave a comment

If you live downwind of Chevron's Richmond refinery, you don't need to be reminded of what happened there last Aug. 6: A huge fire started in a crude-oil processing unit at the facility, sending an immense plume of thick black smoke over adjacent neighborhoods and much of western Contra Costa County.In what seems like a … Continue reading How Chevron Richmond, California Refinery Fire Happened, As Shown In New CSB Video

West Fertilizer (Anhydrous Ammonia) Plant Update & CSB Deploys To Massive Deadly Explosion And Fire at Fertilizer Plant In West,Texas

~ Jack Benton ~ 1 Comment

Rescue crews are searching the smoldering remains of a fertilizer (anhydrous ammonia) facility in central Texas, and a swath of destroyed homes around it, for victims of a massive explosion that injured more than 160 people and may have killed as many as 15, authorities said. The estimate of how many may have died in … Continue reading West Fertilizer (Anhydrous Ammonia) Plant Update & CSB Deploys To Massive Deadly Explosion And Fire at Fertilizer Plant In West,Texas

CSB Draft Interim Report on 2012 Chevron Fire Notes Company Failed to Apply Inherently Safer Design That Could Have Prevented the Accident

~ Jack Benton ~ Leave a comment

Richmond, California, April 15, 2013—Missed opportunities to apply inherently safer design, failure to identify and evaluate damage mechanism hazards, and the lack of effective safeguards culminated in the vapor cloud release and massive fire that occurred at the Chevron refinery on August 6, 2012, a draft report by the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) has … Continue reading CSB Draft Interim Report on 2012 Chevron Fire Notes Company Failed to Apply Inherently Safer Design That Could Have Prevented the Accident

Confined Spaces: Myths, Magic, Urban Legends and the Facts

~ Jack Benton ~ Leave a comment

From labeling to atmospheric hazards to training, compliance with OSHA's confined space standard has proven to be a breeding ground for misunderstanding. John Rekus - EHS Today Much of the "popular" information circulating about confined spaces is simply wrong. Confined spaces don't have to be labeled. Oxygen levels of 19.5 percent aren't necessarily "safe" for … Continue reading Confined Spaces: Myths, Magic, Urban Legends and the Facts

Bill to Prevent Combustible Industrial Dust Explosions Re-Introduced in the House

~ Jack Benton ~ Leave a comment

Excellent Combustible Dust Seminar - Training Video WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the senior Democratic member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, Rep. John Barrow (D-GA), and Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT), the senior Democrat of the Workforce Protections Subcommittee, reintroduced legislation today to prevent workplace explosions caused by combustible industrial … Continue reading Bill to Prevent Combustible Industrial Dust Explosions Re-Introduced in the House

In Cooperation with Cal OSHA, CSB Releases Technical Report on Chevron August 6, 2012 Pipe Rupture‏

~ Jack Benton ~ Leave a comment

Washington, DC, February 12, 2013 - The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) and the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) today released a technical evaluation report on piping samples taken from the Chevron Refinery in Richmond, California, where a hydrocarbon release and massive fire occurred on August 6, 2012. Cal/OSHA … Continue reading In Cooperation with Cal OSHA, CSB Releases Technical Report on Chevron August 6, 2012 Pipe Rupture‏

CSB Releases Draft Final Report on Carbide Industries Explosion that Killed Two in Louisville, Kentucky in 2011

~ Jack Benton ~ 1 Comment

Company Ignored Years of  Smaller, Similar Incidents in Electric Arc Furnace Report Proposes More Industry Guidance for Furnace Safety   Louisville, Kentucky, February 7, 2013 – A large explosion at Carbide Industries that killed two workers and injured two others here on March 21, 2011, resulted from a failure by the company to investigate similar … Continue reading CSB Releases Draft Final Report on Carbide Industries Explosion that Killed Two in Louisville, Kentucky in 2011

CSB to Hold Public Meeting in Louisville, KY to Release Final Report into the Fatal 2011 Fire and Explosion at Carbide Industries

~ Jack Benton ~ Leave a comment

Washington, DC, February 5, 2013 - The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) announced that it will hold a public meeting on Thursday, February 7, 2013, to present the findings from its investigation into the March 21, 2011, fire and explosion that occurred at the Carbide Industries facility located in Louisville, KY.  The … Continue reading CSB to Hold Public Meeting in Louisville, KY to Release Final Report into the Fatal 2011 Fire and Explosion at Carbide Industries

Combustible Dust: An Insidious Hazard

~ Jack Benton ~ Leave a comment

Any combustible material (and some materials normally considered noncombustible) can burn rapidly when in a finely divided form. If such a dust is suspended in air in the right concentration, it can become explosive. The force from such an explosion can cause employee deaths, injuries, and destruction of entire buildings. Such incidents have killed scores … Continue reading Combustible Dust: An Insidious Hazard

CSB Releases New Safety Video on 2011 Explosion and Fire that Killed Five Workers during a Fireworks Disposal Operation in Hawaii

~ Jack Benton ~ Leave a comment

Investigation Details: Donaldson Enterprises, Inc. Fatal Fireworks Disassembly Explosion and Fire The U.S. Chemical Safety Board today released a new safety video depicting the events leading up to an explosion and fire that killed five workers during a fireworks disposal operation in Waipahu, Hawaii. The new video, entitled “Deadly Contract” features a new HD animation … Continue reading CSB Releases New Safety Video on 2011 Explosion and Fire that Killed Five Workers during a Fireworks Disposal Operation in Hawaii