A New Year and New Developments in Chemical Plant Security

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas). The latest development in the war on terror is that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has received the authority by Congress to develop a comprehensive chemical plant security program. Over the next three years, the DHS will work with chemical manufacturers to implement standardized security measures that will provide the industry with a baseline to address security concerns. Whether these changes will ultimately close any lax security loopholes is still anyone’s guess.

The DHS has required that some chemical facilities (determined by fitting a DHS profile) complete an online risk assessment to determine the site’s level of risk. These plants will then have to address their own vulnerabilities and provide a plan of action to remedy the situation if any exists. Some points the DHS has said they will be assessing include perimeter security of the facility, controlling access to the facility and its onsite contents and deterring theft of potentially hazardous materials. Flagrant violators could face fines of up to $25,000 a day or even possible shutdown when the standards take effect. High-risk facilities will begin the process with smaller chemical manufacturers phased in over time.

With these new guidelines come several questions about the future of the industry. The new guidelines do have an appeals process attached to them for companies that do not feel that the standards are applicable or if any measure of compliance is in dispute. In the preliminary phases of this program, it is hard to determine to what extent the appeals process will be exhausted and how the DHS plans to monitor onsite activity at the thousands of facilities nationwide.

In addition, gone is the mention of phasing in less hazardous (caustic or explosive) chemicals as a possible substitute in some situations. Costly though it may be, the industry should look at how these potentially harmful substances play into the plant’s production methods and strive to reduce and improve the methodology behind the processes.

Some in the chemical industry have been preparing for these expected changes for several months and even years by spending millions of dollars. Background checks for workers, surveillance technology, and adding more security personnel are just a few ways the industry has responded. The previous agreed upon measure was the introduction of new railcar technology to prevent accidental and intentional releases. The new railcars will have thicker walls, tamper-proof seals and less obvious safety placards all designed to decrease the likelihood of a release. Implementation of this agreed upon technology will not happen until at least 2009.

Undeniably, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and his staff have their work cut out for them, but they now have the authority to change and improve safety standards for the industry that have not been addressed in over 30 years.

Industrial Info now offers the Security Manager Database, which includes management contacts responsible for security systems at industrial plants. For details contact Industrial Info's Member Center at 1-800-762-3361.

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