This report examines the catastrophic vessel failure and fire that occurred on March 4, 1998, near Pitkin, Louisiana, at an oil and gas production facility owned by Sonat Exploration Company. Four workers were killed in the incident. The root causes of the incident are identified, and recommendations are made concerning engineering and design management systems and the development of good-practice guidelines. The Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) is an independent federal agency whose mission is to ensure the safety of workers and the public by preventing or minimizing the effects of chemical incidents. The CSB is a scientific investigative organization; it is not an enforcement or regulatory body. Established by the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990, the CSB is responsible for determining the root and contributing causes of accidents, issuing safety recommendations, studying chemical safety issues, and evaluating the effectiveness of other government agencies involved with chemical safety. No part of the conclusions, findings, or recommendations of the CSB relating to any chemical incident may be admitted as evidence or used in any action or suit for damages arising out of any matter mentioned in an investigation report. See 42 U.S.C. § 7412(r)(6)(G). The CSB makes public its actions and decisions through investigation reports, summary reports, safety studies, safety recommendations, special technical publications, and statistical reviews. More information about the CSB may be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.chemsafety.gov.
