EPA inspector general outlines Chemical Safety Board management challenges

Washington – The Chemical Safety Board needs to address several management challenges to strengthen its influence and protect workers and the public, according to a report from the Environmental Protection Agency Office of Inspector General.

EPA OIG on Oct. 22 issued an 18-page document outlining CSB’s management challenges. The report follows several tumultuous years at CSB, which has sought a fresh start in recent months under the leadership of new chairperson Vanessa Sutherland.

According to EPA OIG, CSB’s three management challenges for fiscal year 2015 are:

• Address employee morale.
• Increase investigations and enhance investigative management controls.
• Assess the need for a chemical incident reporting regulation.

The report cited findings of “a toxic work environment” at CSB under previous leadership, which came under scrutiny by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. CSB also does not investigate every incident that it should, EPA OIG claims. Meanwhile, the agency has not published a reporting regulation for chemical incidents as called for in the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990.

“CSB is in a transition period and stated it is working on these areas to strengthen its agency,” EPA OIG stated in its report.