U.S. Chemical Safety Board Releases New Safety Video on 2020 Fire and Toxic Gas Release at Bio-Lab Facility in Westlake, Louisiana

The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) released a new safety video on its investigation into the August 2020 fire and toxic gas release at the Bio-Lab Lake Charles chemical facility in Westlake, Louisiana, that occurred when the facility was severely damaged by Hurricane Laura.

U.S. Chemical Safety Board Announces New Safety Product to Provide the Public with More Information about Serious Chemical Incidents Reported to the Agency  

The U.S. CSB announced that it is launching a new initiative to give the public more details about the serious chemical incidents that have been reported to the CSB since the agency’s Accidental Release Reporting Rule (ARRR) went into effect in March 2020. The CSB will be compiling summaries of reported incidents and making them available to the public on the CSB’s website on a regular basis. The CSB released Volume One of the Incident Reports on January 14, 2025.

For more information on CSB updates and news releases please visit www.csb.gov or contact Communications Manager Hillary Cohen at Hillary.Cohen@csb.gov.

Safety Advisory: Possible Catastrophic Failure of Nurse Tanks and Recommendation for Periodic Testing

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and the PHMSA have issued a safety advisory to provide notice of the possibility of catastrophic failure of certain hazardous materials packages commonly known as “nurse tanks.”

USDOT PHMSA Letters of Interpretation: Lithium Batteries

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s PHMSA has recently issued several Letters of Interpretation (LOIs) in response to several inquiries related to the transportation of lithium batteries. The LOIs are focused on:

• 24-0034 – “DDR battery determination of HMR applicability”
• 24-0041 – “Lithium Batteries State of Charge”
• 24-0064 – “Foam Battery Trays”
• 24-0085 – “Shipper’s Agent for Shipping Lithium Batteries.”

Past LOIs can be found using the search tool on PHMSA's Letters of Interpretation webpage or the PHMSA oCFR tool, which offers search criteria based on keyword, regulatory citation, or date.

FEMA Radiological Emergency Preparedness Program Lunch and Learn Webinar Series, Various Topics and Dates, Virtual

FEMA will host a series of new weekly Lunch and Learn webinars every Thursday, beginning February 20 and concluding on March 6, 2025. These sessions will focus on FEMA's updated Radiological Emergency Preparedness Program Manual, which provides planning and assessment guidance for state, local, Tribal Nations and territorial partners located near commercial nuclear power plants. For more information about sessions and registration, visit the FEMA Radiological Emergency Preparedness Program Lunch and Learn Webinar Series web page.

EPA Webinar: Lithium-ion Battery Challenges and Best Practices, March 12, 2025, 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. EST, Virtual

This two hour webinar will present the current best practices, and primary challenges, for responding to lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery fires. The course will cover the basics of Li-ion batteries and their unique hazards; types of incidents that may be encountered; and transportation and disposal challenges during remediation of a battery incident. Visit the Tribal Oil Spill Prevention and Chemical Emergency Preparedness Webinars web page for more information on how to attend the webinar.

EPA Superfund Enforcement Process Overview Webinar, March 17-20, 2025, 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. EST Daily, Virtual

Enforcement Process Overview (Live Online), a 4-day course, provides an overview of the EPA’s Superfund enforcement process. There is no cost to attend this training. Visit the Trainex website for more information and to register.

2025 CAMEO for Planning Training, Virtual

Understand the hazardous material threat in your jurisdiction. Experienced instructors will train

you how to use the CAMEO® Suite software* to facilitate planning for hazardous material

incidents. This training focuses on CAMEO Data Manager (DM), CAMEO Chemicals, and

MARPLOT®. This course is particularly helpful for Tier II managers and local emergency planners.

It is also an excellent introduction into using the CAMEO® suite applications for planning for all types of

emergency events, i.e., fire, floods, severe weather. This is a targeted course, not a general introduction

to the CAMEO® Suite. This 5-week class consists of 24/7 access to online, recorded lessons followed by weekly, live, 2-hour Q & A Webinars to discuss and enhance the classroom lessons. Class size is limited to 25 students to maximize instructor access and interaction.

• Register for Session 1: March 20 - April 17, 2025 (Thursday webinars)
• Register for Session 2: October 23 - November 20, 2025 (Thursday webinars)

For more information contact info@cameosuitetraining.com.

ChemLock: Introduction to Chemical Security Training Course, Virtual

This course provides an introduction to identifying, assessing, evaluating, and mitigating chemical security risks. This easy-to-understand overview identifies key components and best practices of chemical security awareness and planning to help kickstart chemical security discussions at your facility.

This course runs 1-2 hours in length and is appropriate for all personnel regardless of their level of involvement with dangerous chemicals.

• Register for April 15, 2025 - 11 a.m.-1 p.m. ET

• Register for July 17, 2025 – 2-4 p.m. ET 

ChemLock: Secure Your Chemicals Security Planning Training Course, Virtual

This course walks through how to create a tailored, scalable security plan that meets the business model and unique circumstances of a facility. Participants will learn the key elements of a chemical security plan and benefit from examples, lessons learned, and best practices.

This course runs 2-3 hours in length and is designed to help leadership, facility security personnel, and other applicable personnel understand, develop, and implement a facility security plan.

• Register for February 18, 2025 - 12-3 p.m. ET

• Register for May 21, 2025 - 10a.m.-1 p.m. ET

For more information or to request a specific training for your facility, please visit the ChemLock Training webpage.

2025 NASTTPO Annual Workshop, Milwaukee, WI, April 21-25, 2025

Annual workshop to be held at the Hyatt Regency Milwaukee, 333 West Kilbourn Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53203. For more information and to register for the workshop please visit the NASTTPO website.