AND STILL A GIANT WASTE OF TAX PAYER MONEY. CPR

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CSB's Y2K COMPLIANT CHEMICAL SAFETY WALLET CALENDAR CARDS ARE STILL AVAILABLE (not a single Y2K failure reported!)

For information on how to obtain a supply, see:

http://www.chemsafety.gov/about/cards.htm

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The following message is from the United States Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, Washington D.C. SAFETY BOARD PUBLIC MEETING The United States Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board announces that it will convene a Public Meeting beginning at 10:00 a.m. local time on April 6, 2000 at the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB), Suite 300, 625 Indiana Ave. NW, Washington, DC. Topics to be discussed at the meeting will include:

CSB Investigations update of the Morton, Tosco, and Sonat I cases.

Review of CSB recommendations

Chemical incident selection criteria update

Hiring plan update

Review of contracting matters

Data base study update

Board member update

Future activities (Senate hearing, strategic planning, public meeting on the Morton case, future Board meeting dates).

The meeting will be open to the public. The DNFSB office is a secure federal building and photo identification may be required for admission.

The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board is located in downtown Washington, DC near the Navy Memorial-Archives Metro Station on the Yellow and Green lines.

A map highlighting the public meeting location may be found at: http://www.chemsafety.gov/news/2000/DNFSB_map.htm

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OSHA AIR CYLINDER SAFETY ALERT

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration in Houston has issued a safety alert requesting any and all air cylinders marked "compressed air - breathing" that were purchased within the last two months be tested for oxygen content prior to being used. These cylinders should be checked for an oxygen level of 19= to 23= percent by volume. On March 21, 2000 a double fatality at Equistar in Channelview, Texas, occurred. Two painters, employed by AIS/Basic, were wearing sandblast hoods connected to compressed air cylinders. Preliminary tests show a low level of oxygen in the cylinders. The cylinders were filled by Aeriform. (See CSB Chemical Incident Report Center Incident # 4739 for additional details): http://www.chemsafety.gov/circ/

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EPA SAFETY ALERTS ON SITE SECURITY AND ANHYDROUS AMMONIA THEFTS

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has published two Chemical Safety Alerts, one on Site Security and the second on theft of anhydrous ammonia. The alerts, prepared and issued by EPA's Office of Chemical Emergency Preparedness and Prevention Office, may be accessed on the CSB website at: http://www.chemsafety.gov/lib/EPA_site_security_alert.htm

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CHEMICAL INCIDENT REPORTS CENTER (CIRC) NEARS 800 INCIDENT REPORTS The Beta test of the CIRC is continuing, with the number of incidents now approaching 800. The CIRC is updated daily, throughout the day, and significant incidents are updated with new information as investigations and other actions continue and are completed. An on-line CIRC Betatest comment form may be completed in just a few moments; your comments will help improve the CIRC and add to its usefullness. Thanks to all who have submitted comments to date. See http://www.chemsafety.gov/circ/

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CSB's Y2K COMPLIANT CHEMICAL SAFETY WALLET CALENDAR CARDS ARE STILL AVAILABLE (not a single Y2K failure reported!) For information on how to obtain a supply, see: http://www.chemsafety.gov/about/cards.htm

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CHEMICAL SAFETY CONFERENCE AND SYMPOSIUM LISTINGS ARE AVAILABLE AT NO CHARGE ON CHEMSAFETY.GOV; Qualifying events may be submitted via e-mail to info@csb.gov See http://www.chemsafety.gov/info/conferences.htm to see current listings.

This message was transmitted at 11:06 PM Eastern Time (U.S.A.) on April 3, 2000.

________________________________________________________ Visit us on the World Wide Web at http://www.chemsafety.gov -- This mailing came from the csbnews list maintained by the Office of External Relations, U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, Washington, D.C. -- To unsubscribe to this list please send a message from the subscribed email account to csbinfo@csb.gov with the subject line blank and the words "unsubscribe csbnews" (no quotation marks) in the body of the message. Please note: if the "from" address at the top of this message is from an address other than csb_automailer@csb.gov please contact the sender.

-- cpr (buytexas@swbell.net), April 04, 2000

Answers

didn't some guy named jim lard say that chem plants were a 'serious threat' from y2k?

-- (????@????.????), April 07, 2000.

uh, meant lord. time for beddy bye.

-- (sleepy@fingers.don't werk), April 07, 2000.

http://www.csb.gov/news/1999/n990305.htm

Chemical Safety Board Presents Y2K Report to Senate Special Committee

Washington, D.C. -- (March 15, 1999) Citing 'significant gaps' in awareness, surveillance and communications, members of the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) today presented their report on potential Y2K problems among chemical manufacturers, handlers and users to the Senate Special Committee on the Year 2000 Technology Problem.

CSB Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Paul L. Hill, Jr. accompanied by Board Member and Y2K project coordinator Dr. Gerald V. Poje, presented the report to Senate Committee Chairman Robert Bennett (R-Utah). The report indicated intense efforts among the nation's large chemical producers and handlers, but warned of a lack of information on the readiness of small and medium-sized companies in the chemical industry.

"We're pleased that with encouragement from the Senate Special committee we were able to assemble a diverse group of experts from labor, industry, government and environmental groups to discuss the challenges to chemical safety presented by the Y2K technology problem," Hill said. "Now it is up to those same groups to ensure that chemical safety systems work into and beyond the Year 2000."

The report, prepared at the request of the Senate Special Committee, was the result of a collaborative effort between the CSB and industry, labor, government and environmental group representatives who met in a CSB-organized round table discussion of the problem last December.

"We want to be sure that Y2K doesn't become an explosive catalyst for system failures in the chemical industry," Bennett said. "This industry is already accustomed to dealing with dangerous chemicals, and although I am hopeful there won't be Y2K-related accidents in the chemical industry, the risks are too great to chance the possibility of failures that threaten human lives."

The following findings were presented in the CSB report:

* Large chemical companies with sufficient awareness, leadership, planning and resources to address the Y2K problem are unlikely to experience catastrophic failures - unless there are widespread power failures.

* There is a lack of information about small and medium-sized chemical businesses, but readiness efforts appear to be "less than appropriate."

* Current federal safety rules provide valuable guidance for risk management, but no specific Y2K guidelines for the chemical industry have been provided by the federal agencies, and there are no plans to do so.

The CSB recommended that the administration convene an urgent meeting of federal agencies to plan public awareness campaigns, develop local and state emergency response and preparedness plans, and contingencies for emergency shutdowns and manual operation of chemical facilities. The report also stresses the importance of preserving the national power grid and local utility continuity. The Chemical Safety Board is an independent federal agency with the mission of ensuring the safety of workers and the public by preventing or minimizing the effects of industrial and commercial chemical incidents. Congress modeled it after the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which investigates aircraft and other transportation accidents for the purpose of improving safety.

Like the NTSB, the CSB is a scientific investigatory organization. CSB is responsible for finding ways to prevent or minimize the effects of chemical accidents at industrial facilities and in transport; the Board is not an enforcement or regulatory body, but can make recommendations to the Congress and other federal agencies.

-- (On@the.record), April 08, 2000.

"not a single Y2K failure reported!"

The key word here is "reported".

-- Hawk (flyin@high.again), April 08, 2000.

"Year 2000 Issues - Technology Problems and Industrial Chemical Safety - March 1999"

http://www.csb.gov/reports/1999/y2k_tech/

-- (The@CSB.report), April 08, 2000.