May 12, 2020 | Mark Paradies

Requirement to Report Chemical Incidents to the CSB

New Reporting Requirement

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This May, the US Chemical Safety Board published a new requirement. Per the CSB document, the purpose of the requirement is:

This Operating Experience Level 3 (OE-3) document provides information on a new requirement imposed by the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) to report certain accidental releases of chemicals. The CSB requires reporting of any accidental release into the ambient air that results in a fatality, serious injury, or substantial property damage. This new reporting requirement is distinct and separate from other release reporting requirements from other governmental agencies. This OE-3 document includes the applicability criteria for reporting an accidental release, steps to report the release, and a recommendation to update protocols and procedures.

What Needs to be Reported?

The CSB says:

ALL of the following criteria must be satisfied for the CSB reporting requirement to apply to an incident:

Accidental release (unanticipated emissions);

Into the ambient air;

From a stationary source; and

Caused a fatality, serious injury, or substantial property damage.