The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board on Tuesday said it will probe an explosion at a steel-making facility near Pittsburgh that left two dead and 10 people injured.
“The CSB will work to determine the cause of this tragic incident and identify actions that can be taken to help ensure that a similar disaster like this does not happen again,” said Steve Owens, the board’s chair.
The agency is sending a team to investigate the explosion that rocked U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works plant Monday, Owens said. The Clairton plant is the nation’s largest facility that processes raw coal into coke that’s used to make steel. Almost 1,300 people work at the plant.
The CSB is an independent, nonregulatory federal agency that investigates the root causes of major chemical incidents that may result in the release of hazardous substances. While the agency does not issue fines, it is tasked with conducting investigations, formulating preventive or mitigative recommendations and pushing for their implementation.
