Citation's Software Compliance Tool Boasts New Functionality

 Citation built the original versions of ART from the ground up with the customer in mind, providing a simple and effective solution for complying with regulatory requirements.

"We are impressed by the intuitive nature of ART, and how its conditions-based questions will enable our customers to better manage their risk through a more comprehensive understanding of applicable regulations and laws," said Laura Mixon-Gould from CH2M HILL, a Citation partner. "ART is a good fit within our suites of services."

And it was with that mindset that Citation asked for feedback from customers. It was largely this feedback that eventually led to the improvements and new features within ART 3.0, which is being released to customers today.

By incorporating both Detailed Requirement screening and Tasking into ART 3.0, the software tool simplifies the compliance process into fewer steps for the user.

Clients can also add their own Detailed Requirements to address local plant requirements, and these supplemental requirements can now be defined at the company level.

Citation also took efforts to streamline the review process by implementing high-level applicability questions to significantly reduce the total number of questions that need to be answered. Additionally, users can more easily see how far along they are in the process and jump from step to step if needed.

Improvements to security include allowing companies to manage their own security and set-up, expanding role-based security functions, and improving password strength requirements for new users. And users now have the ability to use Internet Explorer 7, 8 and 9, along with Firefox, Chrome, or Safari.

How ART Notifications Work

 The US EPA warned in August of upcoming changes to the way it collects information from commercial chemical manufacturers, adding the Chemical Data Reporting (CDR) rule. Published in the Federal Register on August 16 as 40 CFR 711, the new rule went into effect on September 15.

The CDR rule, which replaced the Inventory Update Reporting rule, enables the EPA to collect and publish information on the manufacturing, processing and use of commercial chemicals on the Toxic Substances Control Act's (TSCA) Chemical Substance Inventory. The main points of the CDR include more frequent reporting, reduced reporting thresholds for specific chemicals, new exemptions, and new reporting requirements.

Under TSCA, failure to maintain required records or to report the required information can result in civil penalties of up to $25,000 a day as well as criminal fines and imprisonment. Users of Citation's CyberRegs could have found the new CFR material the day it was released, and might have even received email notification that 40 CFR 711 had changed. But unless they were following closely, they might have missed the specific changes pertaining to their practices and procedures.

ART users not only received an automatic email notification that relevant changes were made in the company's ART Review, but they were given specific changes in eight Detailed Requirements. They would have not only known that previously written compliance tasks for the replaced Inventory Update Reporting rule were outdated, but they would have realized immediately how they needed to alter their reporting thresholds or frequency, or if they received a new exemption.

Citation's regulatory analysts would have done the leg work for them, providing them specific citations to the material that contained the necessary compliance actions. For example, the Detailed Requirement for 40 CFR 711.20 tells users they must "File reports during applicable submission periods" and 40 CFR 711.35 tells users to "Submit reports electronically pursuant to requirements."

The ART notifications contain the citation and full text of the rule that was changed. Users simply have to look up the citations and make the necessary changes within their compliance matrix. In this manner, the company will always be in compliance with the standards of the federal government.