THE FINAL investigation report of the US Chemical Safety Board offers exhaustive detail on the cause of the vapor-fueled explosion at the CAI/Arnel ink and paint manufacturing plant that devastated a Danvers neighborhood in 2006. For all the technical drawings, timelines, and explosion reconstruction analyses, the report still boils down to lax operating procedures at the plant and the failure of local public safety officials to address unsafe conditions.
The safety board, an independent federal agency that investigates industrial chemical accidents, has been critical in determining why the massive explosion occurred and what steps should be taken to prevent a future blow-up. The process of manufacturing printing inks carries relatively low risks but was enough to create the most extensive property damage that safety board investigators have seen in the past decade. This stark fact should guide the future actions of local policy makers.
The explosion exposed inadequate state fire regulations and shoddy local licensing procedures for chemical processors. One of the board's strongest recommendations would require a company to seek an amended license from its host community when it increases the amount of flammable liquids on site or adds additional regulated chemicals to its inventory. The agency also urges that nearby residents be given a voice in the approval process, a recommendation that really hits home in Danvers.
Safety board officials are pressing the state to provide local fire departments with written criteria and schedules for inspecting manufacturing plants that handle flammable materials. State Fire Marshal Stephen Coan says he supports nearly all the board's recommendations but adds that he will need an "infusion of funding" to carry them out.
A bill sponsored by state Representative Theodore Speliotis of Danvers would resolve the funding issues. The bill addresses many of the safety board's concerns and would reinforce the state fire marshal's office with a small group of chemical safety engineers to assist local fire departments. Eventually, user fees imposed on chemical processors should be enough to support the new regulations. But the Legislature should be prepared to provide start-up funds.
Some Danvers residents argue that the bill should mandate a buffer zone between residential areas and any new businesses that use chemical processing. Safety board chairman John Bresland calls that "a valid point." He also argues for stronger safety codes to prevent overheating of flammable liquids.
It's time to act. Residents who live near chemical processors are reaching their boiling point.
