Globally, we work closely with industry and government agencies to address potential threats. We upgrade our security systems to comply with changing regulatory requirements. We constantly assess possible weaknesses, strengthening the security at our facilities, throughout our supply chain and in our information systems.
We strongly support legislation by all nations to establish uniform, risk-based security standards. Our corporate efforts are aligned with these goals.
2011 programs
In 2011, we made progress in reviewing our corporate security management systems. Some of our accomplishments include:
- New internal security standards were defined to assist our sites in adopting common global practices
- We completed six security vulnerability assessments in line with the American Chemical Council’s (ACC) Responsible Care® security code and in preparation for ACC accreditation.
- We completed the implementation of a standardized Security Vulnerability Assessment (SVA) process for the business. Security Assessments will be completed at each site, both domestically and internationally.
- Employees were provided with an increased level of security training in line with our integrated global approach.
- Five major crisis management exercises were carried out in Europe and the USA to help us be prepared for any significant business incident. We also commenced an upgrade of our crisis management processes.
Many of our employees are required to travel, sometimes to places where there are security risks or an increased chance of illness. In 2011, we significantly improved the integration of travel, health and security services to provide extra information and assistance to employees. This helps to minimise risks to our employees, as well as improving access to assistance should an unfortunate event occur during a business trip.
Emergency Management
We understand that we must protect our people and the environment as we conduct our business. We also understand that our operations have the potential to create emergency situations.
Although we focus on prevention, we also constantly prepare for emergency events that could harm workers in our plants, the surrounding communities and the environment. We prepare for this by regularly coordinating with local governments, mutual-aid groups and other emergency response organizations.
We assess our manufacturing sites to evaluate risks and we supply the resources they need to reduce risk. In addition, many of our sites maintain employee teams who are trained to respond to medical incidents, fires and releases of hazardous materials.
High standards of emergency training and drills are maintained through global cooperation amongst our offices and manufacturing sites.