Today, the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB; Washington, D.C.; www.csb.gov) released a new safety video emphasizing the need for greater use of remote isolation equipment at chemical facilities. The safety video, titled “RIPE for Change,” is based on the CSB’s 2024 safety study titled “Remote Isolation of Process Equipment,” (R.I.P.E.) and includes commentary from CSB Chairperson Steve Owens and Director of Recommendations Charles Barbee.
The video details three serious chemical incidents investigated by the CSB where consequences escalated due to the lack of remote isolation safety equipment: (i) the massive March 2019 fire at the Intercontinental Terminals Company (ITC) bulk liquid storage terminal in Deer Park, Texas, (ii) the catastrophic June 2019 fire and explosions at the Philadelphia Energy Solutions (PES) refinery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and (iii) the major November 2019 fire and explosions at the TPC Group chemical plant in Port Neches, Texas. The
CSB found that in all three incidents, fires burned for extended periods of time – from several days to over a month – in part because the facilities did not have remote isolation equipment to safely stop the flow of the hazardous materials that were fueling the fires. Instead, all three facilities relied solely on manual or locally controlled valves that could not be accessed safely by facility personnel during the dangerous incidents.
In the video, Director of Recommendations Charles Barbee notes that, “Although good industry guidance on the remote isolation of process equipment has been available for many years, the guidance has not been consistently followed. Therefore, the CSB believes that both industry standards and federal regulations should require the use of remote isolation equipment, where appropriate, to help prevent and/or mitigate the consequences of such highly destructive and dangerous events.”
The video also highlights the safety recommendations made by the CSB to the American Petroleum Institute (API), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). These recommendations are intended to ensure that remote isolation capabilities are in place to prevent the escalation of releases of hazardous materials.
In the video, Chairperson Steve Owens states, “The ability to safely, quickly, and effectively isolate a hazardous release is critical to mitigating its severity. The use of remote isolation equipment can save lives, protect jobs and critical infrastructure, and safeguard communities. We urge chemical facilities to assess the use of remote isolation equipment even if there are not yet formal requirements to do so, and install the equipment where workers can safely activate it.”
The CSB is an independent federal agency charged with investigating incidents and hazards that result, or may result, in the catastrophic release of extremely hazardous substances.
