In addition, because the regulations were promulgated independently, deadlines for compliance were spread over two or three decades. Therefore, where more than one regulation applies at a given facility, the typical result has been multiple emergency response plans. The separateness of these multiple plans was sustained in part because each responsible agency had a unique preferred plan format that their inspectors promoted. Administrative headaches to update multiple plans. Potential inconsistency among overlapping plans.
Time demands for training employees appropriately under each plan.
Potential difficulties for emergency response services to locate critical information in a particular plan due to inconsistencies among plan formats, both on a facility-specific and service region basis. Economic inefficiencies associated with the above issues. Additionally, the individual plan documents were frequently structured and written primarily for proving regulatory compliance to an inspector. A myriad of bulky documents are usually of limited usefulness during an emergency situation. Various federal agencies came together to offer a solution.