It's easy to zone out on those repetitious building fire drills, even though we know they’re important. Industrial safety managers face the issue of inattention in safety training workshops regularly, but some are finding that the U.S. Chemical Safety Board’s videos can help to focus attention. The most recent video, Death in the Oilfield, was released just this week. The 9-minute presentation, based on an explosion at an oilfield in Raleigh, MS that claimed three lives, uses 3D animation to illustrate the sequence of events that led to the explosion. Also included are interviews with CSB investigators and key safety lessons to be learned.

The 2005 BP refinery explosion in Texas City, TX that killed 15 contract workers was the event that triggered the video program. Considering the magnitude of the disaster, the CSB sought a better way to disseminate the results of its investigation in hopes of preventing similar accidents. The result was its first safety video, a 6-minute 14-second presentation mixing 3D animation with TV news footage.



Today, the agency has 14 safety videos available, presenting findings and recommendations from its accident investigations. The CSB has just released a usage analysis with comments from individuals -- ranging from industry safety managers to emergency responders to union officials -- who have requested and used the videos. According to the report, that first video has been downloaded half a million times since it was first posted in December 2005.

A sampling of comments from video users:

• “These are the most informative and pertinent videos our shop has seen. The CSB videos use high quality graphics simulations and excellent commentary that really helps management, operators, and maintenance personnel think about how their specific decisions and work activities can cause or prevent these tragedies.” Carl Steiner, ConocoPhillips and United Steelworkers
  
• “Everybody's got to learn from everybody else. We've all got to watch each other's backs, especially on the public safety side of things.” Fire Chief Michael McNeil, U.S. Forest Service, noting the value of the safety videos to the emergency response community
  
• “Most people are not going to read an 800-page report,” says David E. Cummings, a process safety official with DuPont, but the videos “really get people's attention.” Cummings notes that part of the videos’ value is to communicate about process hazards to new engineers and other employees, most of whom have never experienced a major accident.

“The intent of the CSB's safety video program is to provide concise, accurate, and compelling information on the findings and recommendations from CSB investigations,” says CSB Chairman John Bresland. “We believe this to be a worthwhile and effective means of promoting awareness of serious chemical hazards. The feedback from a whole range of important stakeholders confirms that the program is working and is, we hope, helping to prevent future accidents.”

CSB safety videos have been viewed more than one million times over the Internet since the launch of the program in December 2005. More than 75,000 DVDs have been distributed to industry and labor groups, government agencies, safety trainers, educators, emergency responders, and individual requesters throughout the world.

The full text of the usage analysis, Across Industries and Continents, Demand for CSB Safety Videos is Global, is available in the Video Room of the Board's website. All CSB safety videos are available for viewing and downloading in the Video Room, as well as on the CSB channel on YouTube. DVDs are available free of charge through the online request form at CSB.gov.

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. The Board does not issue citations or fines but does make safety recommendations to plants, industry organizations, labor groups, and regulatory agencies such as OSHA and EPA.

By Mary O'Hara Smith, Industrial Equipment News Staff