Keeping Pace with Regulations

Company provides chemical, petrochemical security officer training updates for CFATS

The events of Sept. 11 heightened the federal government’s attention to security procedures at chemical/petrochemical facilities and required officials at LyondellBasell to take a fresh look at methods used to secure their facilities.

The LyondellBasell La Porte complex, a 540-acre site on the Houston Ship Channel on Galveston Bay, is part of LyondellBasell Industries and is the world’s largest polymer, petrochemical and fuel companies. The La Porte, Texas, location primarily manufactures ethylene, propylene, vinyl acetate, ascetic acid and polyethylene.

The complex found itself especially scrutinized by federal regulators because of its unique location and use of trucks, trains and barges for product delivery. For this reason, LyondellBasell La Porte counts on its security provider, AlliedBarton Security Services, to keep the facility secure. A team of more than 20 AlliedBarton security officers oversees access control, mans screening areas, and patrols interior and exterior locations.

An Ever-evolving Industry
While AlliedBarton was already providing specialized chemical/petrochemical training for the security officers at LyondellBasell La Porte, evolving industry regulations dictated a need for further training. The challenge was to quickly implement additional training so that every officer was well-versed and up to date on the latest Department of Homeland Security regulations.

“It was important to me, my company and the entire AlliedBarton security officer staff to understand not just what we were doing, but why we are doing it,” said Carl Kraft, senior health, safety and environment specialist for LyondellBasell La Porte. “Our security officers have a serious job. Our unique location has put us on the radar of Homeland Security and the Coast Guard.

“We are visited, audited and inspected on a fairly frequent basis. If we were not in compliance with industry regulations, we could receive severe penalties. The responsibilities here are definitely different from those of a security officer at a shopping mall or office building. Our training is elevated and differentiated from that of other industries.”

Under the direction of Glenn Schnitzer, AlliedBarton’s local district manager, the company wasted no time in responding to Kraft’s request. The company’s focus training and network of training resources, both across the country and as a corporate team, means implementing new training modules or updating existing training to meet changing industry regulations is an ongoing process.

Creating Specific Training
In the first quarter of 2008, AlliedBarton’s corporate training department developed a security officer training program specific to the needs of the chemical and petrochemical industry. This course was designed to give new officers the essential knowledge they needed to effectively perform their duties within this highly regulated industry and to allow officers to continue their training to become certified CPSOs by completing advanced courses within the curriculum.

The program includes courses on the most current and critical government regulations, CPSO essential courses and client specific training requirements, such as First Aid/CPR/AED, hazmat awareness and local safety council training. The material prepares every security officer to protect effectively chemical and petrochemical facilities against potential acts of terrorism, accidents and other extraordinary threats, in addition to performing their day-to-day responsibilities in a safety conscious manner. The courses of study review many topics, including:

  • Chemical Facilities Anti-terrorism Standard regulations under 6CFR27, which governs high risk chemical and petrochemical facilities not covered by MTSA.
  • Maritime Transportation Security Act requirements under 33CFR105, which covers critical infrastructure facilities on navigable waterways, including chemical/petrochemical facilities and general MARSEC requirements.
  • Guidelines for the Transportation Workers Identification Credentials, a requirement for individuals needing unescorted access to any MTSA-regulated facility.
  • Essentials knowledge base courses, such as vehicle and rail car search, fire safety officer, emergency preparedness, evacuation procedures, terrorism awareness, OSHA safety, search techniques, patrol techniques and customer service.

LyondellBasell was impressed with the both the essential and advanced CPSO training programs and provided classrooms for the quarterly sessions that are conducted by security team leaders at the chemical plant. In addition to classroom settings, training materials for various courses are available for continuous review online.

“When I reviewed the training material, I was impressed by how well it was put together,” Kraft said. “I’m a big believer in quality training. I felt that the classroom setting was perfect to enhance retention of the materials. The rotation of several supervisors as instructors keeps the information fresh and the students interested.”

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