U.S. Chemical Safety Board Investigations Manager Stephen Selk applauded New York City officials' and the fire department's efforts to revise the city's nearly 90-year-old fire code and encouraged applicable training of fire inspectors. The proposed code's final draft was the subject of a recent public forum.

Four years ago, the Chemical Safety Board called upon New York City to revise its fire code as a result its investigation into a Sept. 25, 2002, chemical explosion at Kaltech Industries, a small sign manufacturer in the Chelsea area. The accident injured 36 people and caused extensive damage to five floors of a 10-story mixed-use building. The CSB's investigation concluded the accident occurred when employees improperly mixed hazardous material and that the fire code did not adequately address storage, handling and use of hazardous chemicals. Selk led that investigation.

"Completing a final draft of the revised fire code brings New York City one step closer to implementation," Selk said. "The CSB applauds the steps that the city has taken to improve safety."

Selk added that a particular concern of the CSB in this investigation was the fact that training was not available in languages that were understood by workers. At Kaltech the majority of workers were immigrants; employees spoke Polish, Spanish, and Swahili but were not provided training materials in their native languages. Employers should take steps to ensure all workers understand proper procedures, Selk said.

The CSB also encourages the city to use the momentum of its fire code revision to promptly implement the two other CSB recommendations that are not included in the proposed fire code. The first is to ensure that its fire inspectors are properly trained on issues of hazardous substances in the new code. The second is that the fire department and the city's environmental protection department establish a program to exchange facility information regarding hazardous chemical inventories.

As CSB learned at a public hearing held in New York City in April 2003, city fire inspectors conduct about 100,000 hazardous materials inspections every year. For many small businesses, these are the only regular government safety inspections they will ever receive.

The CSB is an independent federal agency charged with investigating industrial chemical accidents. The agency's board members are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. CSB investigations look into all aspects of chemical accidents, including physical causes such as equipment failure as well as inadequacies in regulations, industry standards, and safety management systems.