Syria is learning an important message about improper chemical storage. In the whirlwind of fallout following the rather impromptu dissolution of Assad’s long-beleaguered drive to stave off a decades-long civil war, several bad actors are descending on the nation’s capital to lockdown unprotected weapons supplies. Syria has been a battle lab for the world’s premier armed forces, who have drawn lines in the bloody sands to protect their national interests. With Assad now bunking with his bestie in Moscow, regional hegemons are now staking their security claims in the war-torn country. While no official government takeover by rebels has been finalized, Israel isn’t taking any chances with a potentially new hostile regime. The battle-hardened IDF moved across the nation’s demilitarized zone near the Golan Heights before attacking military hardware, jets, tanks, and chemical storage facilities. Although the aggressive incursion angered the United Nations, Israel said the maneuvers were a defensive tactic to weaken unguarded stockpiles that could one day be turned against Tel Aviv and Haifa.
Why Did Israel Strike Syrian Chemical Storage?
Israel claims its air force struck Syrian chemical storage sites “in order that they will not fall in the hands of extremists.” Although a tepid and measured response would’ve achieved the same results, Israel didn’t take any chances with the volatile region. Syria has been embroiled in a 13-year civil war that claimed hundreds of thousands of lives, including innocent civilians, and countless foreign soldiers flung into the fray, including Kurdish mercenaries fighting against ISIS. The fractious infighting also saw the use of chemical weapons against innocent civilians in 2013, a “red line” that fell short of deterrence from Western leaders. While Israel exercised its national sovereignty in eliminating the potent existential threat, the fallout from compromised chemical containers could’ve contaminated vulnerable nearby villages, inadvertently recreating Assad’s dastardly and brazen sarin attack. Israel, like so many Western countries, has displayed a zero-tolerance approach to renegade chemical storage practices. OSHA and the EPA have a similar no-nonsense creed for incompliant storage. Thankfully, they won’t come down quite as hard as the Israeli Air Force on noncompliant chemical storage.
Chemical Compliance is the Unseen War at Home
No missiles will ever rain down on American companies for improper chemical storage, but that doesn’t mean violators won’t be bombarded with OSHA fines and civil penalties. Chemical compliance is crucial to protecting employees and our fragile ecosystems. While illicit domestic stockpiling doesn’t run afoul of UN weapons inspectors, the skies will surely darken on companies failing to safeguard hazardous materials. Although the exact total of transgressions isn’t readily available, conservative federal estimates approximate that hundreds, if not thousands, of companies, are fined hundreds of millions of dollars annually for improper chemical storage. Our fire-rated and non-fire-rated chemical storage lockers can protect various-sized chemical stockpiles from incompatible materials and errant industrial sparks. Comprised of solid 12 and 20-gauge tubular steel and paneling, our formidable chemical storage warehouses can protect chemical reserves from theft, high-speed winds, and wildly fluctuating temperatures without interrupting nearby workflows and operations. Our lockers also meet NFPA 30 and OSHA regulations for proper chemical storage. Contact us today for a free quote and consultation!
