2: Safety Studies
Select and complete safety studies and recommend actions with a high potential for protecting workers, the public, and the
environment.
Other Information:
Key Results: - Produce safety studies that contain significant safety recommendations Key Strategies: Resources, Skills, and
Technology Needed - Subject to availability of resources, establish a studies team to improve the quality, efficiency, and
scientific rigor of the research and studies process - Expand staff research skills related to public policy, law, statistics,
and accident epidemiology - Develop and implement a written protocol for selecting and conducting safety studies - Explore
appropriate partnerships with other government agencies, academia, and research organizations for conducting studies - Organize
discussions with key stakeholders to identify significant chemical safety issues suitable for possible CSB studies - Improve
capacity for conducting research surveys in support of the safety studies Metrics: - Number of significant safety recommendations
issued - Cost and average duration of completed studies - Surveys of stakeholders on impact and significance of safety studies
- Adherence to safety studies protocol Discussion: The Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 authorize the agency “to conduct research
and studies with respect to the potential for accidental releases, whether or not an accidental release has occurred, where
there is evidence which indicates the presence of a potential hazard or hazards.” Conducting safety studies is an important
aspect of the CSB’s mission to prevent accidents. Investigating the root causes of an individual accident, while obviously
important, sometimes fails to reveal how prevalent a hazard is around the nation. Recommendations from an individual accident
investigation often focus on eliminating specific root causes rather than addressing broader national problems. From 1998
to 2006, the agency conducted five safety studies that examined widespread hazards in U.S. industry, such as reactive chemicals,
combustible dust, and the dangers of nitrogen asphyxiation. Collectively, these hazards were responsible for numerous deaths
and injuries and substantial property and environmental damage. The studies present recommendations for national actions to
help save lives by preventing similar accidents in the future. Conducting an effective safety study requires research skills
in fields such as public policy, law, statistics, and accident epidemiology — skills that are represented only sparingly among
current staff. The current strategic plan, therefore, includes a new goal to develop, over the next six years, a dedicated
capacity for conducting safety studies. Essential elements of the goal include recruiting or developing new skills, establishing
a written protocol for conducting safety studies, and creating a more formal process for selecting what safety issues to study.
Creating methods for conducting effective national surveys of safety practices is an essential component. Baseline Statistics:
The agency’s most recent safety study, on combustible dust hazards, required a total of about 25 months to complete, at a
total cost of $300,000. Of five completed studies, only the studies of reactive hazards and combustible dust included formal
safety recommendations. Those studies contained 30 recommendations, of which approximately 13 were major recommendations directed
to federal agencies or national trade or safety organizations.
Objective(s):
|
