A safety digest highlights the value of worker participation to prevent chemical incidents.

A lack of worker participation was a factor in several major incidents, according to investigations by the U.S. Chemical Safety Board. CSB noted that in those incidents, workers and their representatives were not engaged to help identify hazards and reduce risks.

Published by the CSB, the digest discusses four incidents that led to a total of 13 employee deaths, many injuries and, in one case, 15,000 residents living near the facility seeking medical evaluation. The incidents took place at an explosives manufacturing site, a chemical production facility and two oil refineries. Each of these CSB investigations found that worker participation programs were inadequate, despite the existence of federal regulations and industry standards.