CSB to Post Draft Investigation Report for Public Comment

Today the Chemical Safety Board published a notice in the Federal Register (76 FR 39842-39843) announcing the posting on its web site [NOTE: as of 8:00 am EDT, 7-7-11, this is not on the CSB web site] of its draft report on three incidents that occurred at the DuPont plant in Belle, WV within a 48 hour period in January 2010. This is apparently a new procedure since typically the CSB has released these draft reports in conjunction with a public meeting near the incident site.

According to the notice:

“The three separate incidents at the DuPont plant involved releases of methyl chloride, oleum, and phosgene, and all three triggered notification of outside emergency response agencies. The incident involving the release of phosgene gas led to the fatal exposure of a worker performing routine duties in an area where phosgene cylinders were stored and used. Key issues involved in the three investigations include safe process design, mechanical integrity, alarm management, operating procedures, and company emergency response and notification procedures.” (76 FR 39842)

The CSB will accept public comments on this draft report until August 22, 2011. Such comments will be considered in their preparation of the final report on their investigation. Comments may be emailed to dupontcomments@csb.gov.