Industrial chemicals play an instrumental role in helping organizations achieve both operational and business goals. However, chemicals are useful in another important way – they help leaders maintain regulatory compliance.
Operators must adhere to oversight that is designed to protect consumers, workers, and the environment. Doing so requires applying chemical treatment responsibly to protect critical infrastructure, prevent cross-contamination, and mitigate catastrophic public health risks. To this end, industrial teams need sophisticated chemical management capabilities, including automated data feeds, visibility into real-time asset integrity, and remote monitoring technology.
In this post, we cover how poor chemical treatment creates regulatory risk for industrial organizations. We also share a few strategies to help operators use the capabilities listed above to overcome common chemical management challenges and achieve their organization’s overarching objectives.
The Consequences of Improper Chemical Treatment on Regulatory Compliance
Since the industrial revolution, industrial chemicals have been a massive boon for all types of businesses. However, chemical utilization also comes with regulatory responsibility. Industrial organizations must be able to comply with stringent environmental and operational standards.
Infrastructure Failures, Leaks, and Cross-contamination
Regulatory bodies, like CalGEM in California, for example, exist to ensure producers implement procedures that minimize public health risk, prevent leaks or cross-contamination, and protect local environments. Under-injecting chemicals, such as corrosion, scale, and hydrate inhibitors, exposes underground infrastructure to harmful byproducts. Over-injecting chemicals can contribute to environmental problems and incur remediation costs for producers.
In 2012, the National Research Council published a report stating that 126,000 groundwater sites across the U.S. did not meet pollution standards due to contaminants created by underground storage tanks, industrial facilities, and military installations. The total estimated cost of remediation: $110B-$127B.