U.S. Chemical Safety Board News

Weak Safety Standards Caused California Exxon Refinery Blast, Agency Says

The U.S. Chemical Safety Board has concluded that a 2015 explosion at a Torrance, Calif., refinery then owned by Exxon Mobil Corp. could have been prevented, the agency concluded in a report issued on Wednesday. “This explosion and near miss …

Federal Investigators Conclude West Virginia Chemical Spill Was Preventable

A 2014 chemical spill into the water supply of 300,000 West Virginians could have been avoided if a company inspected its storage tanks and saw two tiny holes forming at the bottom, federal investigators said Wednesday. Almost three years after …

Investigation Faults Tesoro in Worker Injuries at California Refinery

The U.S. Chemical Safety Board said on Tuesday workers were injured in incidents between 2010 and 2014 at Tesoro Corp.’s San Francisco Bay-area refinery in Martinez, California because of a weak safety culture the company permitted to exist. “The safety …

Fed Probe Finds Safety Problems at Texas Dupont Plant Where 4 Died

A federal investigation into a poisonous gas leak that killed four workers at a Houston, Texas-area chemical plant in November found weaknesses and failures in the facility’s safety planning and procedures, officials said Wednesday. The findings were announced in an …

Obama Gets Chemical Safety Board Chief to Resign

The head of a U.S. industrial oversight agency who was dogged by congressional criticism has resigned at President Barack Obama’s request, the White House said. U.S. Chemical Safety Board Chairman Rafael Moure-Eraso stepped down on Thursday, a week after a …

Chevron: Report Wrong About California Refinery’s Safety Culture

Chevron says it agrees with several findings in a federal report about a 2012 fire at one of its refineries in California’s San Francisco Bay Area. But it adds the report by the U.S. Chemical Safety Board inaccurately depicts the …

Safety Laws Still Lacking a Year After Texas Plant Blast

It has been a year since a fire caused a huge explosion at a Texas fertilizer plant that killed 15 people, yet companies in the state can still store hazardous chemicals in flammable wooden containers in buildings without sprinklers and …

Sen. Rockefeller Requests Increased Funding for Chemical Safety Board

U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller is seeking more funding for the U.S. Chemical Safety Board following a spill in West Virginia that tainted the water supply for about 300,000 residents. Rockefeller says in a news release that he has asked the …

West Virginia Chemical Cleanup Continues; Probe of Leak Underway

West Virginia’s Governor sees the “light at the end of the tunnel” in the chemical leak that has compromised water service for about 300,000 in the state. Residents face a fifth day without drinking water as state and water authority …

Further Investigation of Fertilizer Plant Blast Delayed

The partial government shutdown is delaying the federal investigation of the fertilizer plant explosion in West and efforts to improve chemical safety, Sen. Barbara Boxer of California said. Deadlines set by President Barack Obama for Cabinet members and agency heads …