Washington, DC, April 5, 2004 - Investigators from the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) are en route to the site of a spill of approximately 12,500 tons of molten sulfur from a storage tank located at the Port of Tampa, Florida. The spill was reported to have occurred on Saturday, April 3, when the tank failed following the offloading of sulfur from a cargo ship. On arrival at the site on Tuesday, April 6, investigators will begin to assess the circumstances of the release and consider what further CSB actions are warranted.

The CSB is an independent federal agency charged with investigating industrial 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 safety management systems. Typically, the investigations involve extensive witness interviews, examination of physical evidence, and chemical and forensic testing.

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. The Board designates formal responses to its recommendations as acceptable or unacceptable, open or closed. Further information about the CSB is available from www.csb.gov. For more information, please contact Daniel Horowitz, 202-261-7613 / 202-441-6074 (cell) or Sandy Gilmour, 202-261-7614 / 202-251-5496 (cell).