For more information, go to: Strategic Plan 2007-2012

Washington, DC, February 23, 2007 - The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) today publicly released its new Strategic Plan for 2007 through 2012. The CSB uses the Strategic Plan as a guide in setting priorities and allocating resources in support of its mission to prevent chemical accidents.

The plan contains a new emphasis on conducting new CSB safety studies that will include significant safety recommendations. The Board also plans to focus on broadly disseminating report findings, lessons, and recommendations through innovative agency outreach efforts.

In the plan, the CSB establishes five strategic agency goals that it hopes to accomplish over the next six years. The four mission goals focus on investigating chemical accidents, conducting safety studies, broadly disseminating agency findings, and successfully closing safety recommendations. The fifth enabling goal targets the development and retention of a high-performing workforce.

This plan was completely revised during 2006, with a heightened emphasis on investigations, studies, recommendations, and outreach efforts that have a significant potential to impact chemical safety. Each of these five long-term strategic goals include key objectives, key actions for implementation, and associated specific metrics used to measure progress.

Chairman Carolyn W. Merritt said, "Our quality of work and the influence we exert within industry and the public is a testament to the dedication of our highly trained and motivated people. As leadership grows within the organization, the CSB will continue to produce insightful, challenging and influential work in support of our mission to promote chemical accident prevention."

The Strategic Plan must be reviewed and revised every three years according to the Government Performance Results Act of 1993. The CSB 2007-2012 Strategic Plan details the legislative mandate, agency goals, factors affecting goal achievement, and relationships with other agencies.

The CSB is an independent federal agency charged with investigating industrial chemical accidents. 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 agency's board members are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate.

CSB investigations examine all aspects of chemical accidents, including physical causes such as equipment failure as well as inadequacies in safety management systems, regulations, and industry standards.

For more information, please contact: Director of Public Affairs Daniel Horowitz at (202) 261-7613.