title: Eighteen years of recommendations to prevent industrial chemical incidents: results and lessons learned of the US Chemical Safety Board.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The US Chemical Safety Board (CSB), a federal agency that investigates significant chemical incidents and hazards, is interested in determining the impact of the recommendations resulting from its investigations, and how to better more effective recommendations to prevent chemical incidents.
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a descriptive study of the US Chemical Safety Board's safety recommendations.
  
  
  METHODS
  The CSB coded and analysed its safety recommendations according to potential impact on reducing incidents, implementation status, purpose and recipient type.
  
  
  RESULTS
  As of March 31, 2015, the CSB has issued 733 recommendations, 75% (548) of which are closed and 25% (185) of which remain open. For recommendations categorised as having high, medium, and low impact, 38% (78), 76% (160), and 78% (245) were implemented, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CSB recommendations have led to important and lasting safety changes through regulations, industry guidance and voluntary consensus standards, and individual companies; however, coding recommendations by potential impact do not fully capture the influence of CSB recommendations. While this methodology serves as a preliminary way to determine the effect of recommendations, further data are needed to determine the extent to which these safety changes have reduced the frequency or severity of industrial accidents.
authors.affiliation: US Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, 2175 K ST NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20037, USA. Electronic address: veronica.tinney@csb.gov.
authors.forename: V A
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Tinney
authors.affiliation: Environmental Health Analytics, LLC, Washington, DC, USA. Electronic address: susan.anenberg@envhealthanalytics.com.
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Anenberg
authors.affiliation: US Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, 2175 K ST NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20037, USA. Electronic address: mark.kaszniak@csb.gov.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kaszniak
authors.affiliation: US Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, 2175 K ST NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20037, USA. Electronic address: bea.robinson@csb.gov.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Robinson
mesh_terms: D000062:Accidents, Occupational / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055884:Chemical Hazard Release / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002617:Chemical Industry; D062067:Chemical Safety; D004782:Environmental Health; D006075:Governing Board; D006077:Government Agencies / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D016272:Occupational Health; D014481:United States
keywords: Chemical incidents; Environmental health; Occupational health