y2k and chem facilities

["Michael Meuser" <meuser@mapcruzin.com>]

Here's an excerpt from the President's Council on Year 2000 
Conversion Fourth Summary of Assessment Information on the 
chemical industry, the full report is at: 
http://www.y2k.gov/new/4thquarterly.html

Chemicals 

Large chemical companies that manufacture or process hazardous 
substances report that they are making good progress with their 
Y2K efforts and have contingency plans in place to deal with any 
problems that may occur. While most large firms had been aiming 
to complete their Y2K work by September 30, 1999, there is no 
data available to conclude whether or not they met this goal.  

Much of the recent attention focused on this sector has been on 
small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that manufacture, 
process, or otherwise handle chemicals. Less is known about the 
Y2K readiness of these facilities, which number in the thousands 
and are often not members of industry trade groups or subjects of 
government regulation. However, the information that has been 
gathered by industry contacts, government regulators, and local 
emergency management officials indicates that many of these 
smaller firms have operations that involve little, if any, computer-
based automation and embedded systems are, for the most part, 
not applicable in their equipment.  

Regardless of company size or internal reliance on automation, 
solid contingency plans with an eye toward ensuring public safety 
must be a priority for organizations in this sector. Some companies 
have indicated that they will shut down operations for the date 
rollover, either as a safety precaution or out of economic concerns. 
Full shutdowns and start-ups at any time add an additional element 
of risk, so it is critical that companies deciding on this option 
monitor their operations very closely.  

mike


Michael R. Meuser
meuser@mapcruzin.com

GIS, Pollution Maps, WebMaps, Training, Research
"Making data make sense"
http://www.mapcruzin.com/meuser/

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