Tedeschi Several major New Jersey chemical companies are taking the Y2K threat so seriously they plan to shut their operations New Year's Eve. But federal officials warn that many smaller factories are so unprepared for computer glitches they are jeopardizing the safety of thousands of workers and residents. With just 60 days left before some computer systems could malfunction because of a programming bug, a U.S. Senate committee fears that too many chemical companies won't be able to repair their systems in time. The study prompted one Washington watchdog group to call for factories nationwide to shut down during the Jan. 1 holiday. In New Jersey, the study reinforced Rick Engler's concern that local emergency officials are woefully unprepared to handle accidents at the state's 2,600 chemical factories.
Manufacturers counter that they are ready.
Some larger members, such as Du Pont in Deepwater and Merck in Rahway, are shutting down at least part of their operations for a few days to a week to avoid potential problems. Others, including Uniqema in Paterson, will bring in staff to monitor the computer systems. Bozarth criticized the Texas study for not providing the names of the companies in New Jersey that admitted they had failed to prepare. Many small plants are not heavily reliant on computers for anything more than bookkeeping and therefore have no Y2K issues. But at many chemical plants, computers run the control systems and monitor temperature, pressure, and flow inside huge vats.