L3.1 | Chemical Security: Sustainable Utilities through a Secure Power Grid
Jeff Simmerman | Lieutenant Commander USCG (ret), ERM
On Christmas Day
2009, a young radicalized Detroit-bound passenger on a Northwest (NW) Flight 253 attempted to become a bomber aboard that flight with a liquid explosive.
This liquid explosive, undetectable by current airport security measures, was
potentially powerful and deadly. Only the would-be-bomber’s inexperience in
the manner of use of the explosive kept the NW Flight from ending in a
disaster. The key ingredient in this liquid explosive was Pentaerythritol
tetranitrate or PETN, a product used by the utility power sector and frequently
found in large electrical transformers. The Utility power sector uses many such
chemicals like PETN, Anhydrous Ammonia, and Chlorine, that could be used as a
precursor to a weapon of mass destruction (WMD) by criminal or terrorist
elements. The intent of this paper is to educate listeners to the challenges in
protecting these WMD precursor chemicals from being misappropriated for
malicious purposes. Additionally there are common countermeasures that a plant
Environmental Health and Safety Supervisor could utilize to: • Help mitigate
the hazards that these chemicals may pose and • Help secure these chemicals
for the beneficial use of a secure power grid. This presentation will include:
1) Terrorist and criminal chemical WMD incidents. 2) A brief introduction to
DHS regulations. 3) Chemical security measures. 4) How a bench-mark safety
measures enhances the security and safety of a power production facility.
L3.2 | Water Management: The Next Corporate Challenge in Compliance
Doug Hatler | Vice President of Alliances, Enviance, Inc.
With the drastic consequences of the oil spill in the Gulf, the EPA’s recent emphasis on
enforcement of the Clean Water Act, and the mounting scientific evidence
pointing to water scarcity, water – and more specifically, the management of
water – is top of mind for state and federal regulators, communities at large,
and EHS professionals. A mounting concern in the corporate environment,
managing water resources encompasses everything from water supply, quality and
recycling to regulatory compliance management to sustainability and corporate
social responsibility (CSR) initiatives. In short, water is a major component
of both sustainability and operating a business effectively and efficiently. In
this presentation, Doug Hatler, environmental management lecturer, industry
expert and Vice President of Alliances at Enviance, Inc., will explore water
resource management, including regulatory compliance management and CSR
initiatives, and the role of data management technology. He will also address
how organizations can better prepare for and report on regulatory compliance
mandates and how companies can manage water resource risks strategically while
reducing exposure in today’s new water-constrained environment.
L3.3 | Emerging Best Practice Ensures EHS and Sustainability Systems Achieve Business Objectives
Carrie Tuosto | Client Services Director, EHS & Sustainability Solutions, IHS
Technology experts agree that nearly half of enterprise software implementations fail to
achieve the desired objective of streamlining and simplifying EHS compliance
and sustainability management. Typically, system implementation failure can be
attributed to the lack of a proactive implementation plan or a flawed change
management strategy. Successful implementation of information management
systems supporting EHS and sustainability management programs requires
extensive knowledge of technology, the environment in which the system will be
deployed, and the business requirements it will support. Constructing a
detailed implementation plan and corresponding business case prior to
developing an RFP—is critical to the success of any enterprise software
implementation. A proactive pre-implementation plan includes: • Business goals,
desired outcomes, processes and resources that aligns them with applicable
standards and regulations; • Existing technology that will be leveraged to
complete the solution; • Resources that will be required for software
implementation; and • Process and personnel changes that will be required to
monitor and manage the information. This presentation will offer industry best
practices for conducting effective pre-implementation planning, which has
helped hundreds of businesses, including those in the electric generation
sector, execute successful system implementations.
L3.4 | Now that your wind farm is finally up and running…how strong is your EHS compliance program?
Brian Koziczkowski | Senior Project Manager, ERM
For many, the monumental effort of getting a wind energy project sited, permitted and constructed overshadows the equally important task of instituting an effective environmental health and safety (EHS) program for the operating facility. Wind energy facilities pose a unique set of EHS compliance challenges when compared to large stationary sources such as chemical manufacturing plants, petroleum
refineries and traditional power plants. This paper will review the key
elements of a wind energy facility EHS program, including, but not limited to
worker safety issues relating to the maintenance of wind turbine nacelles and
towers; control of hazardous energy; electrical safety; hot work; hazard
communication; emergency action plans; personal protective equipment (PPE);
bloodborne pathogens; powered industrial trucks; walking and working surfaces;
hoists and slings; spill prevention, control, and countermeasure plans (SPCC);
hazardous chemical inventories; waste management; and stormwater management.
Additionally, the paper will discuss how to properly audit these EHS program
elements and review personnel training requirements. Programmatic approaches to
implementing “fit for purpose” EHS programs will be presented relative to the
maturation of the renewable power industry; the focus on shifting to long-term
operational goals; and the need to achieve high reliability factors.
Co-authors: Brian Koziczkowski, ERM (presenter) Industry representative,
pending confirmation Peter Anderson, ERM
L3.5 | The Big Squeeze – Using Technology to enable EHS Compliance Assurance while reducing Cost and minimizing Risk
Jim Braselman | VP, Safetec
Like most business people, EHS professionals are facing the Big Squeeze of meeting increased regulatory requirements with reduced resources. In particular, the rapid rate of EHS regulatory change is forcing companies to do a lot more with a lot less when it comes to credibly managing compliance assurance. Knowing
what regulations apply to your business operations, what changes have occurred,
and how these changes affect your task burden and compliance activities is
something that cannot be managed “manually” anymore. There are dozens of
technology providers that deliver “task management” solutions or regulatory
content search engines intended to help achieve credible compliance assurance.
Unfortunately, real-world results are mixed. This presentation explores: – the
true cost and complexity of configuring “compliance assurance” software solutions
– the most common functional gaps and shortcomings of these solutions, and –
the 3 key technology enablers needed to assure performance improvement and cost
reduction The presentation will highlight real-world examples of how 3
companies focused on crucial technology enablers to drive out the cost and risk
of meeting their overall EHS Compliance obligations.
L3.6 | Integrating ESC and IHS EMIS Tools For Automated Air Emissions Data Transfer
Cindy Whitaker | Senior Environmental Specialist, Duke Energy
Duke Energy will discuss our effort, benefit and project experience in implementing a fleet-wide EMIS program. Its integration to the CEM Data Acquisition Systems for air data collection will be of particular interest, as the IT infrastructure and all vendor products continue to change at a rapid pace. Air monitoring requirements also
continue to expand beyond the original scope, to include Greenhouse Gas
reporting and future monitoring indicated by the Utility Boiler MACT. The
smooth integration of the regulatory and business reporting requirements has
been a boon to Duke Energy, but the pitfalls and risks should also be borne in
mind. Duke will share lessons learned and goals achieved by this project.