Washington, DC, November 19, 2004 - U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) Chairman and CEO Carolyn Merritt will present a keynote address at the Indian Institute of Technology conference Bhopal Gas Tragedy and Its Effects on Process Safety to be held December 1-3, 2004, in Kanpur, India.

The event marks the 20th anniversary of the methyl isocyanate gas release accident that killed thousands of people in Bhopal, India, on December 3, 1984. An international audience from the chemical industry, academia, and government will participate.

Chairman Merritt's keynote address, scheduled for 1:45 p.m. local time on December 1, focuses on Bhopal as an event that triggered many actions to try to prevent similar chemical accidents around the world. She will discuss the debate over whether regulations or voluntary actions are more effective in preventing accidents, and what role safety culture plays in accident prevention.

"I am honored to be asked to speak at this conference on behalf of the agency created specifically to help prevent an accident like Bhopal from happening in the U.S.,"Chairman Merritt said. "This was a watershed event that changed the world of chemical manufacturing, and now is the time to reflect on whether those changes have been lasting and effective. In our attempts to prevent these tragedies, we hope to honor and memorialize those who lost their lives."

CSB Investigator Giby Joseph will also attend the conference to present a research paper comparing the underlying causes of Bhopal with similar causes that have been found in recent CSB investigations.

"I'm concerned about trends in the global industry that could be precursors to an accident of Bhopal's magnitude. Downsizing, budget cuts, failure to maintain safety systems, uncontrolled reactions, lack of chemical knowledge, lack of maintenance, failure of emergency systems, lack of emergency preparedness "all of these things are revealed in our investigations," Ms. Merritt explained. "I want people to think seriously about the consequences that these problems could potentially cause in operations that handle highly hazardous chemicals."

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.

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. Further information about the CSB is available from www.csb.gov. For more information, contact Kara Wenzel at 202-261-7642 / 202-577-8448 (cell).