Eighteen years of recommendations to prevent industrial chemical incidents: results and lessons learned of the US Chemical Safety Board

Abstract

Objectives: The US Chemical Safety Board (CSB), a federal agency that investigates significant chemical incidents and hazards, is interested in determining the impact of the recommendations resulting from its investigations, and how to better more effective recommendations to prevent chemical incidents.

Study design: This is a descriptive study of the US Chemical Safety Board's safety recommendations.

Methods: The CSB coded and analysed its safety recommendations according to potential impact on reducing incidents, implementation status, purpose and recipient type.

Results: As of March 31, 2015, the CSB has issued 733 recommendations, 75% (548) of which are closed and 25% (185) of which remain open. For recommendations categorised as having high, medium, and low impact, 38% (78), 76% (160), and 78% (245) were implemented, respectively.

Conclusions: CSB recommendations have led to important and lasting safety changes through regulations, industry guidance and voluntary consensus standards, and individual companies; however, coding recommendations by potential impact do not fully capture the influence of CSB recommendations. While this methodology serves as a preliminary way to determine the effect of recommendations, further data are needed to determine the extent to which these safety changes have reduced the frequency or severity of industrial accidents.

Keywords: Chemical incidents; Environmental health; Occupational health.