Chemical plants are required to have various safety procedures in place. Plants are inspected at regular intervals by state agencies and those found in violation of standards can face severe fines. Larger firms also have internal auditing procedures that detect safety violations before a serious accident can occur.
Despite laws, chemical spills occur every year. While most of these are minor in nature and effectively handled by the in-house response teams, some are severe and endanger public health and safety. There have been instances when entire blocks surrounding a plant have been forcibly shut down. Chemical spills into portable water bodies have caused bans on using water.
In all such situations, business and commerce is affected. Sometimes businesses have to be shut down for a few days or in some cases business can remain open but access roads are closed preventing customers from visiting.