New Rule Passed by CSB

Effective 3/23/20 

In one of its rare regulatory actions directly affecting industries, the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) has issued a final rule requiring owners and operators of air emission sources to report accidental releases of hazardous substances to the ambient air.  Reporting is required for releases of both regulated hazardous substances and any other “extremely hazardous substances” whether or not they are on existing regulatory lists.  More narrowly though, reporting is required only if the accidental release results in a fatality, a serious injury, or substantial property damage. Reporting must be done within 8 hours but submitted information can be revised for up to 30 days. Accidental air hazard releases also must be reported to the National Response Center (NRC).  To minimize duplicate work, when facility managers report their air release to NRC first they are allowed to then only submit the case identification number for the incident to CSB. Some types of accidental releases must also be reported to EPA and OSHA. Cornerstone’s expert air staff are available to update your Emergency Action Plans to incorporate this new rule and customize it for your potential chemical releases.  Contact us today:  info@corner-enviro.com or (317) 733-2637. To report a spill or hazardous substance release to the NRC: Call 1-800-424-8802 To read the new CSB rule in the Federal Register:  https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2020-02-21/pdf/2020-02418.pdf