Chemical facilities: sensitive target,security practices

ARE CHEMICAL FACILITIES

A SENSITIVE TARGET FOR TERRORISTS?

image credits: here

 

The chemical industry plays an important role by producing goods and services and employing myriads of people. Virtually all day-to-day products, such as plastics, soaps and detergents, synthetic textiles in clothes, and even electronic equipment would not exist without chemicals. Chemicals are vital to agriculture, manufacturing, oil refining industries, waste and drinking water management, and pharmaceutical production.

But chemicals can pose a serious risk: many of these plants sit in densely populated areas, which could be harmed if exposed to certain chemicals: a very attractive target for terrorists!

What sort of impact could an attack on a chemical facility have?

Terrorist direct attack or sabotage to chemical plants may have 2 main harmful results:

1. human cost (seriously affecting localities)

  • it could expose the surrounding population to the release of hazardous chemicals
  • theft of chemicals could provide terrorists with a potential weapon

2. economic shockwaves (having significant national impact)

  • loss of chemicals vital to the national defense or economy
  • disruption of the flow of commerce through ports or major highways, to which many chemical plants and refineries are located near.

The National Institute of Justice in the U.S. developed a Method to Assess the Vulnerability of Chemical Facilities in collaboration with the Department of Energy’s Sandia National Laboratories, experts in security and counterterrorism. According to this special report, main security practices against risk should address 3 vulnerability points:

1. TRANSPORTATION SECURITY

Since many of the plants that use hazardous chemicals do not produce them, the system for transporting chemicals to the plants —primarily the rail system—is a point of vulnerability, as well as the storage facilities.

SIOUX MEMS PRO2 1.500m,
fence-mounted sensor system 

> FENCE PROTECTION NEAR RAILWAYS

Anticlimbing fence-mounted protection based on MEMS technology is not affected by powerful vibrations caused by a fast running train. Easy to install and to manage from remote. IP native.

2. PHYSICAL SECURITY AT FIXED SITES

MICRO-RAY 100m, linear mW barrier for
corridor protection

> MW INVISIBLE WALL ON THE FACILITY PERIMETER

according to the security level required, a fence is just a first line of protection, good to keep away animals or curious people passing by. But to prevent serious intrusions it’s recommended to integrate protection with mW perimeter barriers, top-reliable and low-maintenance.
Not affected by weather conditions, IP-ready by using an IP-doorway interface

3. CYBER THREATS

ERMO 482X PRO 50 to 500m,
mW digital fuzzy logic barrier

> CYBERSECURITY IP PROTOCOL FOR FULL INTEGRATION

All critical infrastructures require reinforced authentication of any devices transiting on their network to avoid cyberattacks.
CIAS complete range of IP interfaces deliver PIDS on a cyber-secured LAN by integrating 802.1X standard for IP protocol.


For any further info please contact: extreme@cias.it