[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 136 (Monday, July 16, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41741-41742]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-17304]


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CHEMICAL SAFETY AND HAZARD INVESTIGATION BOARD


Sunshine Act Meeting

    In connection with its continued analysis of effective safety 
performance indicators for major accident prevention and to release 
preliminary findings on the use of indicators offshore as part of the 
agency's investigation of the Macondo well blowout, explosion, and fire 
in the Gulf of Mexico, the U.S. Chemical Safety Board is holding a two 
day public hearing entitled ``Safety Performance Indicators,'' on 
Monday, July 23, 2012, and Tuesday, July 24, 2012, in Houston, Texas. 
The hearing will be held from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. both days at the Hyatt 
Regency Hotel located at 1200 Louisiana Street in the Imperial West 
Auditorium. The hearing is free and open to members of the public.
    The hearing will bring together international regulators, union 
representatives and industry groups to discuss how companies and 
regulators use safety metrics to manage risks and drive continuous 
safety improvements.
    The CSB's Board Members and Macondo investigation team will hear 
testimony from leading safety experts from high hazard industry sectors 
within the U.S. and internationally, including representatives from the 
United Kingdom, Australia, and Norway. Throughout the proceedings, CSB 
Board Members, staff and the public will have opportunities to ask 
questions of the panelists. The hearing will be available via webcast. 
All proceedings will be videotaped and subsequently transcribed.
    The first day of the hearing will focus on the downstream refining 
and petrochemical sectors. It will feature a presentation by CSB staff 
on the Board's evaluation of the American Petroleum Institute's (API) 
Recommended Practice for Process Safety Performance Indicators for the 
Refining and Petrochemical Industries (ANSI/API RP 754). API RP 754 was 
developed in response to a CSB recommendation resulting from the 
agency's investigation into the BP Texas City refinery fire and 
explosion that killed 15 workers and injured 180 others. The CSB found 
that effective safety performance indicators for major accident 
prevention were not being used to drive safety improvements. The 
lessons learned from other high hazard industries with

[[Page 41742]]

advanced indicator programs will also be discussed during the first day 
of the hearing.
    The second day will include a presentation by CSB staff on 
preliminary findings of the agency's Macondo incident investigation on 
the use of safety indicators and major accident prevention. Evidence 
will be presented on the way safety was managed at Macondo and the 
influence of the regulator in driving safety performance offshore.
    All staff presentations are preliminary and are intended solely to 
allow the Board to consider in a public forum the issues and factors 
involved in this case. No factual analyses, conclusions or findings 
presented by staff should be considered final until approved by the 
Board.
    Please notify CSB if a translator or interpreter is needed, at 
least 5 business days prior to the public meeting. For more 
information, please contact Hillary J. Cohen at [email protected] 
at the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board at (202)-261-
7600, or visit our Web site at: www.csb.gov.
    The CSB is an independent Federal agency charged with investigating 
industrial accidents that result in the release of extremely hazardous 
substances. The agency's board members are appointed by the President 
and confirmed by the Senate. CSB investigations look into all aspects 
of accidents, including physical causes such as equipment failure as 
well as inadequacies in regulations, industry standards, and safety 
management systems.

Daniel Horowitz,
Managing Director.
[FR Doc. 2012-17304 Filed 7-12-12; 11:15 am]
BILLING CODE 6350-01-P