U.S. Chemical Safety Board

The CSB is an independent federal agency charged with investigating industrial chemical accidents. The CSB conducts root cause investigations of chemical accidents at fixed industrial facilities. Root causes are usually deficiencies in safety management systems, but can be any factor that would have prevented the accident if that factor had not occurred. Other accident causes often involve equipment failures, human errors, unforeseen chemical reactions or other hazards. The agency does not issue fines or citations, but does make recommendations to plants, regulatory agencies such as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), industry organizations, and labor groups.

Chemical Mixture Methodology (CMM)

Sponsored by the Department of Energy Office of Emergency Management and Policy, the Chemical Mixture Methodology (CMM) from Emergency Management Issues Special Interest Group (EMI SIG) provides recommended default emergency exposure guidelines for mixtures of chemicals.

National Toxic Substance Incidents Program (NTSIP)

State and local health departments can request help when responding to large-scale toxic substance spills. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) can provide resources through its Assessment of Chemical Exposures (ACE) teams. Health departments can get data collection tools from ACE. ACE scientists can quickly report to a site to help.

Poison Control Centers and Hazardous Materials Incidents

PCC’s are available to assist local and State agencies by providing a public telephone-based service for any type of incident where hazardous materials may threaten public health. These incidents might include only localized impacts that are managed by local fire, police, and EMS. Or even larger events that involve State emergency response programs. Hazards addressed could be anything from a toxic industrial chemical release resulting from a chemical facility fire, to household hazardous waste such as pesticides, mercury thermometers, or oily residues that might be encountered by residents re-entering flooded neighborhoods caused by natural disasters.

Environmental Protection Agency (Region 6)

The mission of EPA is to protect human health and the environment.

FEMA

FEMA's mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.