JACKSON, Miss.—The U.S. Chemical Safety Board on Tuesday launched a national initiative to raise awareness about deadly explosions involving teens, hoping to discourage youth from hanging out at oil field sites.
During a news conference in Hattiesburg, board officials unveiled a new video detailing the deaths of Devon Byrd, 16, and Wade White, 18, who were killed after an oil storage tank exploded in October 2009 near White’s home in Carnes, Miss.
The initiative also includes a push for stronger laws and regulations to secure oil field sites, and a request for the industry to police itself when it comes to safety measures.
The campaign comes after a yearlong investigation of the deadly blast in Carnes.
After mining data, the CSB discovered at least 36 teenagers and six young adults had died in similar explosions over the past three decades.
Daniel Horowitz, the board’s public affairs director, said the video will be distributed to schools across the country and over the Internet, and his agency will encourage states to pass legislation requiring safety features at oil field sites.
“There needs to be fences, locks, gates, very specific warning signs to tell teenagers this is not a place to hang out,” said Horowitz.
CSB is an independent agency that investigates chemical accidents.
The CSB found 2007 was a particularly dangerous year: Two teenagers in Steamboat Springs, Colo., were killed when the oil storage tank they were jumping on exploded. Three teenagers died in Mercedes, Texas, when a liquid storage tank exploded.
“We did not find any victims who were killed who were over the age of 25. This is a problem that affects people during their teenage years, people who are looking for a place to socialize and hang out,” Horowitz said.
Horowitz said there currently is a patchwork of rules across the country. For instance, California requires barbed-wire fencing around oil-producing facilities, while Ohio requires fencing in urban areas and no-smoking areas around tanks. Colorado requires fencing and signs in high-density areas, according to the CSB.
“Some states have requirements, primarily in cities and not in rural areas. There were no federal or state requirements for the site in Carnes to be fenced,” Horowitz said.
Bill Wark, a CSB board member, said oil producers also are being asked to secure the sites. He said many people don’t realize a flammable vapor is emitted from the oil sites that is deadly if ignited.
Wark said the Carnes site was completely unsecured and had no warning signs. A task force will continue researching the issue to make federal recommendations.
Delphi Oil Inc., owned the tank where the explosion occurred. Robert Brooks, a company owner, limited his comments about the case because of pending litigation.
“We were in full compliance with state, local and federal regulations regarding this. It was a very tragic thing that happened,” Brooks said in a telephone interview Tuesday from his Baton Rouge, La., office. “Unfortunately, the kids were drinking and were legally drunk and it was 4 in the morning.”
Horowitz declined to comment about whether the teens had been drinking. He said his agency’s investigation was focused on how to prevent such accidents by securing oil sites.
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