The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) announced that it is launching a new initiative to give the public more details about the serious chemical incidents that have been reported to the CSB since the agency’s Accidental Release Reporting Rule (ARRR) went into effect in March 2020. The CSB will be compiling summaries of reported incidents and making them available to the public on the CSB’s website on a regular basis.
 
The CSB released Volume One of the Incident Reports. This first volume covers 26 accidental release events in 15 states: California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas. Together, the events resulted in 5 fatalities, 17 serious injuries, and approximately $700 million in property damage.

CSB Chairperson Steve Owens said, “The American people have a right to know about the kinds of dangerous chemical incidents that happen across this country every week. Since the CSB’s reporting rule went into effect, the agency has received hundreds of reports on incidents involving releases of hazardous chemicals that have put communities, workers, and the environment at serious risk.

Since July 2022 the agency has been posting overall data on its website about the incidents reported under the ARRR, including the name and location of the chemical facility involved in the incident, the date of the incident, and whether the incident involved a fatality, serious injury, or substantial property damage.

CSB Chairperson Owens stated: “Preparing these Incident Reports and making them available to the public is an important next step in the CSB’s commitment to transparency and information-sharing,”  

Each Incident Report includes a summary of the event and its probable cause – information that has not previously been released to the public. The events covered in Volume One are:

1. Hydrocarbon release, explosion, and fire at the Valero refinery in Meraux, Louisiana (April 10, 2020)
2. Corrosive liquid release at the LACC facility in Westlake, Louisiana (April 11, 2020)
3. Corrosive liquid release at the Wacker Polysilicon facility in Charleston, Tennessee (July 24, 2020)
4. Toxic gas release at the Formosa Plastics Corporation facility in Point Comfort, Texas (December 3, 2020)
5. Flammable liquid release and fire at Lubrizol’s Chemtool facility in Rockton, Illinois (June 14, 2021)
6. Hydrocarbon release and fire at the ConocoPhillips facility in Carlsbad, New Mexico (October 6, 2021)
7. Hot fluid release at the Rubicon facility in Geismar, Louisiana (January 15, 2022)
8. Fatal toxic gas release at the Home Market Foods facility in Norwood, Massachusetts (December 19, 2022)
9. Hydrocarbon release, explosion, and fire at the Suncor Energy refinery in Commerce City, Colorado (December 24, 2022)
10. Toxic gas release at the Tyson Foods facility in Perry, Iowa (January 7, 2023)
11. Hot fluid release at Dow’s St. Charles Operations facility in Hahnville, Louisiana (January 17, 2023)
12. Fatal flammable liquid release and fire at the Phillips 66 refinery in Borger, Texas (January 17, 2023)
13. Hot fluid release at the Georgia-Pacific facility in Rincon, Georgia (January 19, 2023)
14. Hydrogen release and fire at the CITGO Petroleum refinery in Sulphur, Louisiana (January 21, 2023)
15. Vessel rupture at a Kinder Morgan gas plant in Snyder, Texas (January 31, 2023)
16. Hydrocarbon release and fire at the Kinder Morgan crude oil production facility in Snyder, Texas (February 11, 2023)
17. Propane release at the Georgia-Pacific facility in La Mirada, California (February 21, 2023)
18. Hydrocarbon release and fire at the Pemex refinery in Deer Park, Texas (February 23, 2023)
19. Fatal hydrocarbon and hydrogen sulfide release at the ConocoPhillips facility in Watford, North Dakota (February 24, 2023)
20. Corrosive liquid release at the Georgia-Pacific facility in Alcolu, South Carolina (February 24, 2023)
21. Hydrocarbon release and fire at the Pemex refinery in Deer Park, Texas (March 14, 2023)
22. Toxic gas release at the Domtar Paper Mill facility in Hawesville, Kentucky (March 29, 2023)
23. Hydrogen sulfide and sulfur dioxide release at the Flint Hills Resources refinery in Rosemount, Minnesota (April 8, 2023)
24. Fatal chemical reaction, explosion, and fire at a Polycarbon Industries site in Newburyport, Massachusetts (May 4, 2023)
25. Fatal tank rupture from chemical reaction at a Darling Ingredients facility in Wadesboro, North Carolina (June 22, 2023)
26. Distillation tower collapse at the BASF TotalEnergies facility in Port Arthur, Texas (September 5, 2023)