[MCIC Safety] Safety Committee Meeting July 19

[[MCIC] Jim Kuszaj]

MCIC Security Briefing for Members Set for Thursday July 19

Ted Cromwell, the American Chemistry Council's (ACC) Senior Director 
for Security, will be the guest speaker at the July 19, 2007 joint 
meeting of MCIC's Science and Technology (S&T) and MCIC's Safety 
Committees. Mr. Cromwell will be discussing the Department of 
Homeland Security's (DHS) new anti-terrorism security regulations. 
Most MCIC member companies may be subject to these new regulations 
because the thresholds for chemicals commonly used in manufacturing 
are very low, All MCIC members interested in security issues are 
encouraged to attend the July 19 meeting.

For the first time, the DHS rules authorize a federal agency to 
enforce national risk-based performance standards to ensure that 
chemical facilities assess security vulnerabilities and implement 
security plans to address them. Equally important, DHS has clear 
authority to inspect these facilities and apply strong penalties, 
including facility shutdowns, for those that fail to act.

The regulations became effective on June 8, 2007. The final Appendix 
A list of chemicals and threshold quantities that trigger coverage 
under the regulations is expected to be published shortly. For most 
facilities, the publication of the final Appendix A list will began a 
60-day clock to complete DHS's "Top-Screen" exercise. Unless Appendix 
A is changed, if your facility generates any amount of carbon 
monoxide or has more than 1700 gallons of propane on site, you will 
be subject to new regulations.

To get a quick start on implementation of the regulations, DHS 
officials said June 12 that it has already identified facilities it 
predicts will be high risk and will soon send 36 inspectors divided 
into six teams to those plants. The DHS teams will help plants 
through the assessment process and follow-up requirements.

MCIC's Science and Technology (S&T) and MCIC's Safety Committee will 
meet jointly from 10:00 AM until 12 Noon on Thursday, July 19, at the 
MCIC office. Lunch will be served. Members unable to attend in person 
may attend by conference call. To participate by telephone, call 
800-503-2899, and then enter the seven-digit code 8349459. 
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