The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued the Risk Management Assessment Rule, which is authorized in Section 112(r) of the Clean Air Act. This rule required manufacturing sites and warehouses that store or use in a process a specified amount of hazardous substance(s) to submit a Risk Management Plan by June 21, 1999. Traditionally, the regulations concerning hazardous substance(s) have been focused on clean up and response to accidents. The Risk Management Plan is an emergency plan that focuses on the worst-case scenarios for hazmat release, and was developed to insure the prevention of accidents.

Risk Management Plans are considered a "hot topic" in the chemical industry. For many companies, the development of the plan will be cost and labor intensive. Consultants tend to charge high rates for plans that comply with new regulations. Due to the fact that there is a high demand for the service, and because knowledge of the new regulation is limited, the research costs are often transferred to the client.

The plan is labor intensive because a facility must revise the RMP whenever a new substance or process is added. This revision requirement is difficult for facilities with frequent inventory changes. Although the EPA is considering methods to make the plan more flexible for the facilities, the plan is still cumbersome and requires expert knowledge.

RCS, Inc. prides itself on being on the forefront of regulations. President J. Anthony Garrido, P.E.A., P.H.M., assisted Dr. Lyse Helsing of the EPA in the implementation of the model Risk Management Plan protocol. Mr. Garrido has first-hand knowledge of the plan and the EPA's expectations. Members of RCS, Inc.'s staff have been performing research on the topic since 1993 and have developed databases to reduce the complications associated with record-keeping and calculations. RCS, Inc.'s goal is to provide Risk Management Plans for RCS, Inc.'s clients that not only comply with the regulations, but are cost-effective as well.

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