Companies facing malicious acts — Industrial site safety and security

In the field of industrial safety, France has often been a leader, at least at European and even international level.

Very early on, the legislator developed an integrated approach to the prevention of pollution and risks, and the single issuance of administrative authorizations.

Even if it was presaged by the increase in cases of industrial malevolence, the June 26, 2015 attack on the Air Products site in Saint-Quentin-Fallavier (Isère), and the July 14, 2015 acts of malevolence at the Lyondellbasell petrochemical site in Berre-l'Étang (Bouches-du-Rhône), have recently given rise to a new "industrial safety" issue.

Following these events, the Government launched an action plan to strengthen the safety of SEVESO-classified facilities, detailed in a Government instruction dated July 30, 2015.

This is not an ex nihilo approach, because as early as 1958, France legislated and regulated the protection of certain facilities that were of major interest to the functioning of the State in the event of conflict or crisis.

This approach also echoes that developed since 2006 for the security of vital business sectors.

Beyond these approaches, we need to look at the reasons, sometimes profound, that have led to these threatening situations, and at possible ways of controlling these "new risks".

It is therefore necessary to gain a better understanding of potential attackers and their modus operandi, and to specify the nature and quality of the technical and organizational measures that can be put in place to prevent malicious acts and reduce their potential consequences.

The aim of this article is to provide a general introduction to the subject of industrial malevolence, and to present the various concepts that have emerged in the last ten years or so.

It will be followed by more detailed articles on risk and threat assessment methods, as well as on the transportation of hazardous materials.