The report covered an investigation into the root causes of a hydrogen sulfide gas leak at GP’s Naheola pulp and paper mill in Pennington, AL, which killed two and injured eight workers. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) does not currently regulate hydrogen sulfide and other “reactive chemicals,” but has been considering doing so. The CSB investigation report contained a long list of recommendations for GP including applying OSHA’s Process Safety Management (PSM) standard to handling. The report also called upon OSHA to include reactive chemicals in its PSM standard.
Robert Buckler, an attorney representing GP stated, "We're concerned this report will not satisfy the Office of Management and Budget's data quality guidelines that came out recently dealing with the factual accuracy of reports such as this one." Buckler cited four changes he requested in the final report that were not made. The disputes range from facts Buckler wanted added, to points he wanted placed earlier in the report, to a quarrel over one of CSB's recommendations.
Buckler confirmed that the report contained no factual errors he wanted deleted and that the CSB staff had already made "a few" of the changes he had requested – he could not recall just how many, according to a report in Occupational Hazards.
Despite vigorous industry objections, the CSB voted 5-0 to approve the investigation report.