It has been five years since the Department of Homeland Security introduced the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS), a program designed to secure the nation's chemical infrastructure by identifying high risk chemical facilities and requiring them to implement risk-based performance standards. As a number of these standards relate to comprehensive monitoring of employee and visitor identity and control of access to critical areas, automating these processes is a highly proactive step in assuring ongoing compliance.
Taken together, the risk-based performance standards(RBPS)point to a need for a new, overarching approach to physical security management. Most chemical organizations operate multiple facilities across the country and around the world, some located in unstable regions. The high-risk nature of the compounds used in these diverse environments, especially in the higher-risk facilities categorized as Tier One and Tier Two by DHS, makes it imperative that they be protected against terrorists and internal sabotage.