Congress has directed the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to identify and secure those chemical facilities that present the greatest potential security risks. In response, DHS issued an interim final rule entitled Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS), which applies to any facility that manufactures, uses, stores, or distributes selected chemicals at or above a specified quantity. The rule establishes risk-based performance standards for the security of critical assets at applicable chemical facilities, and requires the identified sites to:

Prepare Security Vulnerability Assessments which identify facility security threats, vulnerabilities, potential attack scenarios and consequences.

Develop and implement Site Security Plans which include measures that satisfy the defined risk-based performance standards.

With decades of relevant experience, Abraxas Applications is uniquely qualified to support your efforts at achieving CFATS compliance. Our Security Assessment and Facility Evaluation: Chemical (SAFE-C) process, a chemical industry specific variant of the site survey conducted prior to the deployment of the TrapWire pre-attack detection system, is designed to help you address many of the Rules-Based Performance Standards (RBPS) contained in the CFATS rule. The resulting SAFE-C report additionally provides detailed guidelines on how best to deploy security resources to prevent terrorist or criminal attacks directed against your key assets and personnel.

The process of developing a compliant SSP begins with the completion of an SVA questionnaire, which must be accomplished by each of the approximately 6,500 facilities identified by DHS, and which poses questions in four challenging areas:

1.  Threats
What is the intent and capability of an adversary with respect to attacking a specific facility?

2.  Vulnerabilities
What are the critical asset vulnerabilities at a site and what is the likelihood that an attack directed against those assets will be successful?

3.  Scenarios
What are the most likely attack methodologies to be employed in a potential attack?

4.  Consequences
What are the consequences of a successful attack?

The answers to these questions, and a range of others, are carefully considered when we help a client build or refine a Site Security Plan and implement the protective measures necessary to meet the Risk-Based Performance Standards (RBPS) established by DHS under CFATS. For more information, click here to register for our CFATS brochure or contact Abraxas Applications directly at info@abraxasapps.com