Proposed Budget Cut to Chemical Safety Board Could Limit OSHA’s Reach
Safety experts warn that eliminating the Chemical Safety Board would remove a critical investigative partner to OSHA, leaving gaps in root cause analysis and hazard prevention.
- By Stasia DeMarco
- Nov 19, 2025
The Chemical Safety Board (CSB), an independent federal agency tasked with investigating serious chemical accidents, is once again facing elimination under the proposed federal budget for FY 2026. While the stated justification points to overlapping responsibilities with OSHA, safety experts warn that this is a dangerous misunderstanding that could have serious consequences for both workers and surrounding communities.
Kristi Hames, Head of Product Marketing for Chemical Management and Industrial Hygiene Solutions at Velocity EHS, and a certified industrial hygienist and safety professional, emphasizes that the CSB plays a distinct and vital role that OSHA cannot fulfill.
“CSB is not a regulatory agency. They don’t issue fines or citations like OSHA,” Hames said. “Instead, they investigate major chemical incidents to uncover root causes and share lessons learned across the industry. That’s something OSHA doesn’t have the bandwidth or scope to do.”
While OSHA conducts inspections to ensure workplace compliance with federal safety standards, the CSB performs root cause investigations after catastrophic chemical incidents. These investigations go beyond regulatory violations to examine organizational failures, cultural breakdowns, and mechanical flaws that contribute to tragic outcomes.
In contrast to OSHA’s enforcement focus, CSB provides detailed reports, video reenactments, and training materials that help employers across industries prevent similar disasters. Hames points to numerous examples in which CSB findings have informed process safety updates and helped prevent serious injuries and fatalities.
One recent example includes a deadly chemical explosion in which two children visiting a family member at work were killed, along with a facility employee. Within a week, the CSB had publicly announced its investigation—demonstrating the agency's transparency and urgency in public health communication.
The potential loss of the CSB would also stall progress in areas like OSHA standard revisions, hazard recognition, and industry-wide training. Safety experts caution that without a dedicated investigative body like the CSB, the U.S. workforce could face an increase in repeated, preventable incidents that otherwise might have been avoided through shared learning. The removal of the CSB doesn’t just risk regulatory fragmentation—it risks silencing one of the few organizations uniquely positioned to investigate, educate, and catalyze meaningful change in hazardous industries.
For additional insight into proactive chemical safety, join Kristi Hames, CIH, CSP, for an upcoming Executive Q&A session where she will discuss how organizations can strengthen chemical risk intelligence and improve decision-making across their EHS programs.
Register for the free webinar here: https://ohsonline.com/webcasts/2025/12/velocity-executive-qa-proactive-chemical-safety.aspx
About the Author
Stasia DeMarco is the Content Editor for OH&S.