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Archived News Release--Caution:
information may be out of date.
For more information call: (202) 219-8151
The Labor Department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration
(OSHA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are working jointly to
identify and publicize root causes of chemical accidents and develop
recommendations for preventing similar incidents in the future.
Both OSHA and EPA, through their respective statutes, have authority to
investigate major chemical accidents. Under the memorandum of understanding
signed recently by the two agencies that is now in effect, they will cooperate
to jointly investigate major chemical accidents and releases for root causes
and will publish the results of these investigations in joint reports.
"This agreement illustrates how the Clinton Administration is
streamlining and improving government," said Assistant Secretary of Labor for
Occupational Safety and Health Joseph A. Dear, who administers OSHA. "Instead
of the two agencies working separately to investigate a major chemical
accident, they will coordinate activities to eliminate overlap and duplication.
The result will be a better investigation that can provide useful information
to prevent a recurrence of such an accident."
Chemical accidents or releases characterized by one or more of the
following circumstances will be candidates for joint investigation: 1) one or
more fatalities; 2) hospitalization of three or more persons; 3) property
damage estimated at $500,000 or more; 4) a serious threat to worker health or
safety, public health, property or the environment; 5) significant off-site
consequences such as large-scale evacuations, closing of major transportation
routes, substantial environmental contamination or injury to domestic or wild
animals; or 6) significant public concern.
OSHA and EPA will select for joint investigation events that represent
an opportunity to learn and/or disseminate important lessons about chemical
accident prevention. If one agency elects not to investigate a chemical
accident for root causes, the other agency reserves the right to conduct an
independent causal investigation and issue its own report. The agencies will
not conduct separate causal investigations and issue separate reports on the
same accident.
Joint reports will include a description of the accident and response;
observations and findings; any laboratory test results; discussion of the
accident's probable root causes and contributing factors; a list of further
planned activities; and recommendations for enhancing chemical safety,
increasing emergency preparedness and preventing chemical accidents. Reports
may be reviewed by independent experts before issuance.
The agreement calls for the agencies to share information and data and
to make available training and technical assistance to the other agency's
staff. EPA will work with the 23 states that run their own OSHA programs to
negotiate similar agreements on chemical accident investigations, and OSHA will
make the resources of its chemical accident investigation team available to the
states.
Archived News Release--Caution:
information may be out of date.
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