Chemical Safety Board will Hold July 16 Public Meeting in Charleston, WV

CSB Will Hold July 16 Public Meeting in Charleston, WV to Release Investigation into 2010 Fatal Accident in New Cumberland, WV and Update the Public on Ongoing Investigation into Chemical Leak at Freedom Industries

Washington, DC, July 10, 2014 - The U.S. Chemical Safety  Board (CSB) will hold a public meeting on July 16, 2014, to release findings and draft safety recommendations into the 2010 fatal dust explosion that killed three works at the AL Solutions metal recycling facility in New Cumberland, WV, and provide an update on the Board's ongoing investigation of the chemical leak at Freedom Industries which occured on January 9, 2014.

Chairperson Rafael Moure-Eraso said, "I would like to encourage the public to attend Wednesday's public meeting. CSB investigators will present their findings and formal safety recommendations into the 2010 accident at AL Solutions and brief the board and community on their preliminary findings into the January chemical release at Freedom Industiries which impacted hundreds of thousands of residents in the Kanawha Valley."

The meeting will start at 12:00 p.m. in the Ballroom at the Four Points Sheraton located at 600 Kanawha Blvd. E, Charleston, WV 25301.

Following the staff presentation the Board will hear comments from the public. All staff presentations are preliminary and are intended solely to allow the Board to consider in a public forum the issues and factors involved in this case. No factual analyses, conclusions, or findings presented by staff should be considered final until approved by a vote of the Board.

The CSB is an independent federal agency charged with investigating industrial chemical accidents. The agency's board members are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. CSB investigations look into all aspects of chemical accidents, including physical causes such as equipment failure as well as inadequacies in regulations, industry standards, and safety management systems.

The Board does not issue citations or fines but does make safety recommendations to plants, industry organizations, labor groups, and regulatory agencies such as OSHA and EPA.