CSB Held a Public Board Meeting on September 24, 2021 and Released Two Final Investigation Reports

Washington D.C. September 24, 2021 - The U.S. Chemical Safety Board held a public board meeting on September 24, 2021, 1 p.m. EDT, to release two final investigation reports.

The first report details the investigation into a fatal incident on May 3, 2019, at the AB Specialty Silicones, LLC (AB Specialty) facility in Waukegan, Illinois. AB Specialty was making a silicon hydride emulsion when a flammable vapor cloud developed and ignited, causing an explosion and fire. The incident fatally injured four employees and seriously injured another employee.

The second report details the investigation into a fatal incident on September 21, 2020, at the Evergreen Packaging paper mill in Canton, North Carolina. The incident occurred when an electric heat gun fell into a bucket of flammable resin, igniting a fire. The fire was inside a process vessel that was a permit-required confined space and spread to a connected process vessel where it fatally injured two contract workers.

CSB staff will present its final reports with corresponding findings and recommendations. Staff presentations are preliminary and are intended to allow the Board to consider in a public forum the issues and factors involved in the case.

Final documents will be published on our website in the coming weeks. Safety videos for these two events are scheduled for release in October.

Chairman Katherine Lemos said, “These two investigations cover several issues the CSB has highlighted over the years – reactive chemistry, hot work safety, and confined space safety. We hope that these new reports and investigations will further inform industry about the risks inherent to these activities and how those risks can be successfully mitigated.”

For more information, contact Communications Manager Hillary Cohen at public@csb.gov or by phone at 202.446.8094.