Doubtful that the acronym would make it past any corporate review, but the linkage between ESH risk and IT management is real. There have been plenty of reports on energy consumption by IT hardware, e-waste disposal concerns and chemical/metals content of electronics. But what has not seen much attention is the potential ESH risk posed from internet security breaches. Internet security breaches? A risk to environmental, health and safety? There has been a tremendous growth in computer-based operational controls in manufacturing and process lines. These computer systems can – and sometimes do – control activities such as chemical mixing, fuel flow, exhaust venting and pollution control equipment operation. If these computer systems were to become controlled through unauthorized remote access (in other words, a hacker), a great deal of damage could result. Here are a few scenarios that actually happened. During an IT security test, the “hacker” – a paid consultant in this case – found a way to control the fuel flow to a power generator. The “hacker” ended up running the generator far beyond safety limits, causing it to overheat and start a fire. Fortunately, this was done under controlled circumstances so no one was hurt, no collateral
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