In a new video safety message released recently, Rafael Moure-Eraso, chairman of the Chemical Safety Board, called for regulatory coverage of reactive chemicals following the massive ammonium nitrate explosion that killed at least 14 people and devastated the town of West TX on April 17, 2013. Reactive chemicals, like ammonium nitrate, can undergo potentially hazardous chemical reactions, such as violently detonating, if not managed properly.
The safety message includes testimony from Moure-Eraso during a hearing about the West accident before the US Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. At that hearing, held on June 27, Moure-Eraso said: “The destruction I personally saw at West--the obliteration of homes, schools, and businesses by an ammonium nitrate explosion--was almost beyond imagination.”
As noted in the video, the CSB has determined that ammonium nitrate storage falls under a patchwork of US standards and guidance, which does not prohibit many of the conditions found at the West facility. These include the use of combustible wooden storage bins and buildings and a lack of sprinkler systems in case of fire.
The video safety message states, “The CSB believes it is past time for OSHA (the Occupational Safety and Health Administration) and EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) to regulate reactive hazards--including ammonium nitrate--under their process safety rules.”
The safety message goes on to describe other serious reactive chemical accidents investigated by the CSB since its 2002 study. These include a December 19, 2007, explosion and fire at T2 Laboratories in Jacksonville FL; a January 31, 2006, explosion at the Synthron chemical manufacturing facility in Morganton NC; and an April 12, 2004, toxic release at MFG Chemical in Dalton GA.
The safety message can be viewed on CSB.gov, the CSB’s safety message channel on YouTube, www.youtube.com/safetymessages, and the CSB’s Facebook page for the West explosion, www.facebook.com/westexplosion.
The CSB is a federal agency charged with investigating industrial chemical accidents. The board does not write regulations, and does not issue citations or fines.
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 regulations, industry standards, and safety management systems.