Safety board blocked from accident site

Chemical Safety & Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) investigators were blocked for four days from entering a chemical plant explosion site in Danvers, Mass., by state and local fire officials, who were conducting their own investigation. The accident occurred at the CAI Inc. plant on Nov. 22 at 3 AM. About a dozen residents were injured and briefly hospitalized; some 10 homes were destroyed, and another 70 were damaged. The small plant manufactures water- and solvent-based inks and is located 15 miles north of Boston. The board protested the delay, arguing that its authority to enter the plant under federal law is "ironclad." The incident marked the first time CSB access had been denied by state and local agencies, a board official says. CSB and state and local fire marshals reached an agreement on Nov. 28 allowing board investigators onto the site. In all, five federal, state, and local agencies are investigating the accident scene.