March 23, 2015 –Today the US
Chemical Safety Board (CSB) released a safety message to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the
accident at the BP refinery in Texas City, Texas, that killed 15 workers and
injured 180 others. In the message Chairperson Rafael Moure-Eraso emphasizes
the need for continued safety improvements across industry in order to prevent
similar accidents from occurring.
CLICK HERE to view the safety message
The disaster one decade ago
at BP Texas City was the most serious refinery accident ever investigated by
the CSB. The CSB’s final investigative report into the incident, released in
2007, found organizational and safety deficiencies at all levels of the BP
Corporation. The report also noted gaps in standards and practices that
likely still exist today, contributing to other serious accidents over the last
decade. In response, Chairman Moure-Eraso states in the safety message
that “The CSB believes that current federal and state regulations do not focus
enough on preventative measures or on continuously reducing process risks. “
The gaps in existing federal
and state regulations were cited in recent CSB investigations including the
April 2, 2010, explosion at the Tesoro refinery in Anacortes, Washington, and
the August 6, 2012, fire at the Chevron refinery in Richmond, California. In
both investigations the CSB concluded warning signs regarding a potential
accident were overlooked for years leading up to the catastrophic events.
However, in both cases the CSB found that federal and state process
safety management regulations do not explicitly require the kinds of
preventative measures that may have stopped the accidents from occuring.
To encourage changes to
existing federal and state regulations nationwide, the Board has included
process safety management reform on the CSB’s list of most wanted safety
improvements.
The safety message concludes
with the following call by Chairperson Moure-Eraso, “It’s been ten years since
the terrible accident at the BP Texas City refinery. Industry and
government alike should increase their efforts to prevent process related
disasters. Workers, the public, and companies will benefit.”
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.