Washington, DC, July 1, 2004 - The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) has announced it will convene a public meeting in Washington, DC, on July 15, 2004, to present two new safety bulletins.

The meeting is open to the public and will begin at 10:00 a.m. local time on Thursday, July 15, at the General Services Administration Auditorium in Washington, DC, located at the corner of 18th and F Streets, N.W. Individuals wishing to attend should arrive at least 20 minutes early in order to clear security.

The first safety bulletin to be presented to the Board concerns a recent accident in Port Neches, Texas, at the Huntsman Petrochemical Corporation facility. Two workers were hospitalized and several others suffered minor injuries in an explosion and fire on January 11. The accident occurred during an attempt to prepare a process pipe for modification on equipment that produces methyl tert-butylether (MTBE), a fuel additive. This safety bulletin will discuss causes of this accident and review good practices for preventing incidents during line and equipment opening.

CSB staff will then present a second safety bulletin to the Board about hazards associated with sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS), a chemical used in many industries, including leather tanning and pulp and paper. NaHS can cause severe burns and produces toxic hydrogen sulfide gas when mixed with acidic materials. Exposure to hydrogen sulfide has caused a number of worker deaths. Through select case study examples of incidents involving NaHS, the bulletin is intended to both illustrate the potential dangers associated with NaHS and suggest safety measures to lessen the risk to workers.

There will be an opportunity for public comment after the staff presentations. When the public comment period is concluded, the Board will consider whether to vote to approve the two safety bulletins.

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. Further information about the CSB is available from www.csb.gov. For more information, contact Kara Wenzel at (202) 261-7642 or Sandy Gilmour at (202) 261-7614 / 202-251-5496 (cell).