Chemical industry leaders will develop a voluntary code that encourages companies to take steps to make plants more secure from terrorist attacks.

Details of the code are expected by June and would include verification by an independent third party to ensure that necessary security improvements are implemented.

The American Chemistry Council announcement comes on the heels of federal legislative and regulatory proposals aimed toward chemical companies, nuclear power plants, and others to reduce their vulnerability to terrorists.

ACC's code would be rolled into its voluntary Responsible Care program, says ACC spokesman Chris VandenHeuvel, and would cover more than 2,000 facilities.

An official with the Synthetic Organic Chemical Manufacturers Association adds that, as an ACC partner, it will help draw up the code and ensure that the interests of smaller batch manufacturers are met.

Participating companies, VandenHeuvel says, will screen their facilities, assess security vulnerabilities, take steps to improve security, and then enlist a local fire department or emergency planning committee to conduct a third-party verification that improvements have been made.

ACC will rely on two vulnerability assessment methodologies currently under development by Sandia National Laboratories and by the Center for Chemical Process Safety.

VandenHeuvel notes that the chemical industry is strongly opposed to proposals requiring "inherently safer manufacturing practices" as an alternative to traditional security measures. Such proposals, he says, "would not move forward with security measures for years." He said it was unclear if the assessments will encourage safer practices.

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