The Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board's new chair Rafael Moure-Eraso told Inside OSHA in an exclusive interview that CSB is looking for increased funding to conduct its investigation into the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion, as well as to take on more investigations to address a larger array of hazards.
Additionally, he noted that he recently urged OSHA to improve its process safety management standard, in line with past CSB recommendations, during a meeting with the agency. He also highlighted his interest in examining problems in the chemical industry through a systematic method, moving away from looking at individual injuries as an approach to prevention.
Moure-Eraso, who was confirmed by the Senate as CSB chair in June, said he wants the Board to be able to conduct an increased number of investigations that delve more deeply into the causes of an incident. Additionally, he noted that he sees CSB's role as affecting prevention by capturing the attention that a catastrophic incident attracts and using it to develop recommendations toward avoiding such outcomes in the future.
He noted that a 2008 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report outlined concerns that the number of accidents the Board investigates is not in line with those for which it is responsible in statute.
As part of the effort to conduct more inspections, CSB is looking to open a new office in Houston, he said. It would serve as a center for petrochemical activity and its first job will be the BP investigation. The new office is being discussed as a way to open "this new front to conduct investigations, so we can deploy [inspectors] in a more efficient and effective way," he said.
Furthermore, Moure-Eraso pointed to a recent investigation that CSB launched -- at Horsehead Holding Company zinc recycling facility -- as an example of a review being conducted on a "unique and especially dangerous procedure." He said he hopes the recommendations produced from the investigation will help prevent other similar incidents in the future. "We have concerns and would like to study it at length to make recommendations to prevent these things from happening," he said. It's an important hazard to examine because it is relevant to other operations that deal with molten metal, he added.
Nevertheless, he noted that the Board will need more resources to accomplish the goal of tackling an increased number of inspections. "I would like to have the resources to really cover more and be more effective in our recommendations," he said.
He added that CSB's choice to take on an investigation into the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion in the Gulf will take up a significant number of agency resources, but noted that such a review is part of CSB's mission. "This is the type of thing that we do," he said. "When a big catastrophe happens, we react and we deal with it."
CSB agreed to take on the oil rig investigation after being requested by lawmakers to probe the root causes of the spill and the safety culture at BP (see Inside OSHA, June 14). The Board has already started to collect and subpoena material from companies involved in the incident, Moure-Eraso said.
He added that he has worked hard with Congress to ensure that the Board receives additional resources to conduct the investigation.
The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies passed a bill last month that would increase the CSB's budget by $2 million over the fiscal 2010 budget and the president's request for fiscal 2011. Moure-Eraso said he plans to soon meet with Senate appropriators to make sure that increase becomes a reality.
The new CSB chair also noted that previous CSB recommendations on ways OSHA should improve its process safety management standard were discussed at a recent meeting with agency chief David Michaels. CSB has specified concerns with the rule and recommended that it be modified to make it a stronger tool for prevention, Moure-Eraso said. He highlighted past CSB recommendations to strengthen the rule by improving the way it applies management of change and addresses reactive hazards. House labor committee Democrats and unions pushed for OSHA to conduct rulemaking to address reactive hazards as well (see Inside OSHA, May 4).
Moure-Eraso added that he wants OSHA to reconsider those recommendations and will continue to discuss and work with the agency.
Additionally, he highlighted the value of taking a systematic approach to addressing hazards in the chemical industries, toward preventing hazards. "The important thing that is happening in the chemical industry is that I believe we are moving from issues of personal safety and personal injury to a more systematic approach," he said. He added that he thinks approaches to process safety management will be seen as a general measurement on whether or not a workplace is safe.
Unions have so far been supportive of his efforts as the chair of CSB. A union official said she is pleased by the early actions of the new CSB leadership. Along with Moure-Eraso, Mark Griffon was also confirmed in June as a new Board member. Some unions had previously been critical of the Board for not issuing stringent enough recommendations to OSHA last year, under different leadership (Inside OSHA, Oct. 12, 2009).
Additionally, Moure-Eraso said he recently met with some unions, who also voiced support for recent actions by CSB, including its recommendation that OSHA issue a regulation on natural gas after investigating an explosion at Kleen Energy earlier this year and its decision to investigate the Deepwater Horizon explosion. -- Sara Ditta