Rafael Moure-Eraso, chair of the US Chemical Safety Board, has called for tightening of regulations around the storage and distribution of reactive chemicals.
Mr Moure-Eraso made his comments in the wake of the CSB’s investigation into April’s devastating ammonium nitrate explosion in West, Texas.
“The destruction I personally saw at West – the obliteration of homes, schools and businesses by an ammonium nitrate explosion – was almost beyond imagination”, he said.
Mr Moure-Eraso was concerned that a lack of regulatory oversight left the door open to similar catastrophes in the future. “The fertiliser industry tells us that US sites commonly store ammonium nitrate in wooden buildings and bins – even near homes, schools or other vulnerable facilities. This situation must be addressed.”
“Time to regulate reactive chemicals
Mr Eraso criticised OSHA and EPA for failing to act on CSB recommendations over a decade ago to expand their standards to include reactive chemicals and hazards.
“Ammonium nitrate would have likely been included if the EPA had have adopted our 2002 recommendation to include in the list reactive chemicals under it’s risk management programme and OSHA has not focussed extensively on ammonium nitrate storage and hadn’t inspected West since 1985.”
“CSB believes it’s past time for OSHA and EPA to regulate reactive hazards – including ammonium nitrate – under their process safety rules.”
The massive ammonium nitrate explosion devastated the town of West Texas, killing at least 14 and injuring hundreds more.
