CSB updates status of 12 investigations

Washington – State and federal officials, along with employers and trade groups, have successfully completed a number of Chemical Safety Board recommendations stemming from 12 investigations, the board announced April 20.

CSB updated the status of recommendations from investigations that include the 2010 Kleen Energy natural gas blast in Connecticut that killed six workers and the 2005 explosion at a BP facility in Texas City, TX, that killed 15 workers.

Although CSB considers 12 recommendations “closed,” four remain open. Of those, three were directed at the Tesoro Refining and Marketing Co. following the investigation of a 2010 explosion that killed seven workers in Washington state. The company indicated to CSB that it intends to take actions that satisfy the recommendations.

The fourth open recommendation, related to the Kleen Energy explosion, calls for the American Society of Mechanical Engineers to require the use of inherently safer methods – rather than natural gas blows – to clean debris from gas piping. Although ASME clarified its standard to state that the standard is not intended to address flushing operations, CSB deemed the response "unacceptable” because the standard does not reference provisions for safe cleaning practices.