Senate Provides Welcome Boost to Chemical Safety Board
The Senate provided a very welcome surprise this week by approving the nomination of Katherine Lemos to the Chemical Safety Board (CSB). The move to approve Lemos follows shortly after a Senate hearing earlier this year held by Chairman Barrasso and Ranking Member Carper underscoring the important contributions the Board makes to enhancing safety.
During
the hearing, ACC’s
Chris Jahn explained
that “The CSB has the important job of independently investigating major
accidents and making recommendations. The CSB’s findings are very influential
and a catalyst for safety improvements.”
Jahn
also cautioned that the CSB should not be forced to operate with just one Board
member and urged Congress and the White House to fill the open positions with
people who can help the CSB continue to fulfill its mission. While the Senate’s
action avoids that scenario, three other Board positions remain unfilled.
That
is why we urge the Administration to nominate additional well-qualified
industry and process safety experts to serve on the Board. And, we ask the
Senate to confirm those nominees as soon as possible.
While Lemos has not worked directly in the chemical industry, her experience as an accident investigator at the National Transportation Safety Board is very relevant to her new leadership role in conducting CSB investigations and developing recommendations to help prevent or mitigate major accidents.
ACC
applauds the Senate for confirming Lemos and we look forward to working with
her to advance chemical safety.
The post Senate Provides Welcome Boost to Chemical Safety Board appeared first on American Chemistry Matters.
