On 30th
Anniversary of Fatal Chemical Release that Killed Thousands in Bhopal, India,
CSB Safety Message Warns it Could Happen Again
CSB Chairperson Says
More Must be Done to Improve Process Safety Regulations in the U.S. to Prevent
the Next Accident from Occurring
December
2, 2014 - The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) today released a short
video safety message marking the 30th anniversary of history’s
worst industrial accident. The tragedy occurred at the Union Carbide pesticide
plant in Bhopal, India and killed thousands of people. The CSB’s safety message
examines recent incidents in the U.S. three decades after this deadly event and
discusses how more must be done to prevent similar accidents from occurring.
The
video entitled “Reflections on Bhopal After Thirty Years” chronicles how on
December 2, 1984, water inadvertently entered a storage tank containing more
than 80,000 pounds of methyl isocyanate, or MIC, which reacts react
violently with water. A subsequent runaway reaction overheated the tank
and resulted in a massive toxic gas release. A dense, lethal cloud drifted over
the city of Bhopal exposing hundreds of thousands of people to deadly MIC and
other chemicals.
An
estimated 3,800 people died immediately, and tens of thousands were injured.
Eventually thousands more died from toxic gas-related illnesses – the release
eventually killed tens of thousands of people.
In
the wake of Bhopal, Congress enacted new laws to increase chemical emergency
preparedness and to require companies to develop process safety and risk
management programs, and to report their worst-case release scenarios.
Congress also established the Chemical Safety Board to independently
investigate chemical accidents and recommend measures to prevent such
catastrophic accidents. But despite these actions in the 1990’s, the
United States continues to experience serious chemical accidents.
In
the video, CSB Chairperson Rafael Moure-Eraso says, “Process safety management
regulations are in need of reform. There must be more emphasis on preventing
the occurrence of major chemical accidents through safer design. Responding to
emergencies and punishing people after the fact are not enough.
In
the past few years, CSB investigations have found deficiencies in design and
process safety management similar to those uncovered in Bhopal. The video
points out that a 2008 explosion killing two workers and injuring eight others
at a pesticide plant in Institute, West Virginia found that incomplete operator
training and procedures similar to Union Carbide’s at Bhopal.
Furthermore,
had the Institute plant vessel that exploded taken a different trajectory,
pieces of it could have struck piping connected to a storage tank containing
13,700 pounds of MIC, potentially causing a large release of the same highly
toxic chemical that killed thousands in Bhopal.
The
safety message discusses a number of additional accidents currently
investigated or previously investigated by the CSB which ultimately could have
been prevented had current federal and state regulations focused on
preventative measures or continuously reducing process risks.
To
enhance safety in the chemical industry, the Board has voted to include
“Modernize U.S. Process Safety Management Regulations” on the CSB’s list of
most wanted safety improvements.
Chairperson
Rafael Moure-Eraso concludes the video with the following call to industry and
regulators, “Since Bhopal, both industry and government have increased their
efforts to prevent major chemical accidents. But multiple CSB
investigations show that much more needs to be done to assure that
future tragedies will be avoided.”
The
CSB is an independent federal agency charged with investigating serious chemical
accidents. The agency's board members are appointed by the president and
confirmed by the Senate. CSB investigations look into all aspects of chemical
accidents, including physical causes such as equipment failure as well as
inadequacies in regulations, industry standards, and safety management systems.
The
Board does not issue citations or fines but does make safety recommendations to
plants, industry organizations, labor groups, and regulatory agencies such as
OSHA and EPA. Visit our website, www.csb.gov.
For more information, contact public@csb.gov.