8 Nov 2022

The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigations Board’s (CSB) safety video released on October 27, 2022 has reached one million views in just over a week, passing the one million mark on Friday, November 4, 2022.

The video titled ‘Wake Up Call: Refinery Disaster in Philadelphia,’ details a fire, explosions, and toxic hydrofluoric acid (HF) release that occurred at the Philadelphia Energy Solutions (PES) refinery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, on June 21, 2019.

CSB’s safety video program

This video is the most recent release from the agency’s highly successful safety video program

This video is the most recent release from the agency’s highly successful safety video program. With over 240,000 subscribers and 45 million views overall, the agency’s safety video program is its most visible and successful program.

The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigations Board’s Interim Executive, Steve Owens, said “Our safety videos allow millions of viewers to learn about the CSB’s work and the important safety recommendations we make. While many people read our reports, millions more learn about our critical investigations of catastrophic chemical incidents by watching our videos on our YouTube Channel.

Philadelphia Energy Solutions (PES) refinery fire video

The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigations Board’s Philadelphia Energy Solutions (PES) refinery fire video is its most recent video and has gained the highest number of views ever, in just the first few days after its release, but the agency has produced a number of important videos that have reached millions of viewers, including:

  • Blowout in Oklahoma 2.5 million views: A training video for the onshore drilling industry detailing lessons learned from the January 22, 2018, blowout and fire at the Pryor Trust gas well, located in Pittsburg County, Oklahoma, USA that fatally injured five workers.
  • Fatal Exposure: Tragedy at DuPont 2.4 million views: Three accidents occur over a 33-hour period at the Dupont plant in Belle, West Virginia, United States of America (USA).
  • Inferno: Dust Explosion at Imperial Sugar5 million views: On February 7, 2008, fourteen workers were fatally burned in a series of sugar dust explosions at the Imperial Sugar plant, located near Savannah, Georgia, USA.

CSB’s safety videos

The CSB’s safety videos enable a new and diverse audience to access our agency’s investigations"

Sylvia Johnson, Board Member at the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigations Board (CSB) said, “The CSB’s safety videos enable a new and diverse audience to access our agency’s investigations – information is presented in ways that allow us to share important safety findings and reach a wide range of viewers. We are extremely proud of this unique program and hope to continue to expand its reach.

The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigations Board - CSB’s core mission activities include conducting incident investigations; formulating preventive or mitigative recommendations based on investigation findings and advocating for their implementation; issuing reports containing the findings, conclusions, and recommendations arising from incident investigations; and conducting studies on chemical hazards.

Agency board members appointed by the President

The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigations Board agency’s board members are appointed by the President, subject to US Senate confirmation.

The Board does not issue citations or fines, but makes safety recommendations to companies, industry organizations, labor groups, and regulatory agencies, such as Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).