Process Safety with Trish & Traci: Recent Episodes
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Sharing insight from recent process-safety incidents to avoid accidents at chemical processing plants.
From an 3 a.m. evacuation drill to a real fire alarm in Toronto, repeated emergencies reveal how — and how poorly — we prepare when we're away from home. Hear why Trish could be the Jessica Fletcher of the process safety world.
On this episode of Processing Safety with Trish and Traci, General Atomics safety engineer Valerie Stakes returns to discuss well-being in the safety profession, building on her 2026 ASSP conference session. She, Trish Kerin and Traci Purdum explore why safety professionals — often wired to please and fix — struggle to set boundaries and how compassion fatigue, unappreciated efforts and repeated exposure to injuries and fatalities take a cumulative toll. They share personal stories of burnout, offer tips on debriefing, networking and using employee assistance programs and close with a guided breathing exercise. The episode also answers a listener’s question on the role of training in operations and emergency response.
Decades of guidance on alarm management exist. So why are control rooms still drowning in noise?
Trish Kerin breaks down the runaway reaction that triggered a mass evacuation in Orange County, California, and explains what facilities handling reactive chemicals can learn about instrumentation, warning signs and emergency communication.
Editor's Note: We mention an upcoming webinar that Trish will be hosting: a webinar focused on leadership in uncertain times — looking at key strategies and tools we can use to navigate some of the challenges we're all facing globally right now. Use the code CPREADER for $5 off.
The analog timepieces at Melbourne's Flinders Street Station offer a timeless lesson: sometimes the simplest solution is the most elegant — and the most reliable.
Eleven refinery and fuel facility fires across four continents in roughly 60 days — that's the alarming backdrop for this episode of Process Safety with Trish and Traci. Process safety expert Trish Kerin examines whether the 2026 incidents are a statistical anomaly or a symptom of deeper systemic pressure. She points to deferred maintenance, narrowing margins and the normalization of risk during periods of production stress as key contributing factors. Kerin also addresses the unique vulnerabilities of new facilities and aging infrastructure. Her bottom line: know your controls, check that they're working and talk to your people. Stick around for the bonus material at the end.
When economic pressures mount, safety vigilance can quietly erode — and that's when incidents happen. In this episode, process safety expert Trish Kerin introduces APTBED, a practical decision-making framework for navigating volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous times. The acronym covers six critical areas: Authority (know who's in charge), Psychological Safety (create space for honest information), Tacit and Explicit Knowledge (bring all knowledge into the room), Biases (recognize and manage cognitive blind spots), Expectations (manage them or people will fill the void), and Document Decisions (if it's not written down, it never happened). Good decisions and strong safety culture aren't mutually exclusive — even in a crisis.
When operators inevitably push levels to their limits, a poorly placed vapor inlet nozzle can turn a routine excursion into a tower-wrecking event.
In this episode, Stay Safe Columnist Trish Kerin reads her latest article for Chemical Processing. She's a proud GenXer, and she points out that a line from Dr. Ian Malcolm cuts to the heart of a critical distinction in process safety — the difference between what we are allowed to do and what we ought to do. You can read the column here.
When natural disasters strike industrial facilities, the results can be catastrophic — and most companies aren't ready. In this episode of Process Safety with Trish and Traci, Trish Kerin and Traci Purdum explore NATECH events, where natural hazards collide with industrial risk. Drawing on real incidents including Arkema in Crosby, Texas, BioLab in Lake Charles and the Fukushima disaster, they examine why facilities consistently underestimate natural hazard risk, how to build truly complete ride-out and recovery plans, and why traditional PHAs fall short for NATECH scenarios. Kerin's bottom line: assume the event will happen, and prepare accordingly.
Chernobyl, Bhopal, Three Mile Island, Deepwater Horizon, Texas City — What do they have in common? Human error or human factors were identified as contributing to the incidents. But what are these factors?
Understanding how people actually perceive, decide and act is essential to preventing catastrophic industrial accidents and everyday errors.
This In Case You Missed It episode brings the written word to life from the column:
Human Factors Engineering: Designing Systems Around Our Limitations
In this episode, Trish Kerin and Traci Purdum explore process hazard analysis revalidations and how to make them more effective. Kerin explains the difference between redoing a PHA and revalidating existing assessments, introducing the Delta HAZOP methodology that focuses on creeping change in facilities. She discusses triggers for revalidation, from legislative requirements to significant operational changes, and emphasizes the importance of selecting the right team and methodology. Kerin highlights how AI and machine learning can help gather data and identify trends, while stressing that human expertise remains essential. The key takeaway: approach revalidations with rigor and discipline, not as tick-box exercises, to truly identify hazards and manage risk effectively.
Applying risk management principles helps Process Safety Engineer Trish Kerin navigate her first successful year of self-employment. Listen in as Trish brings her January column to life. You can read her column here.
Engineers couldn't prove danger, so managers launched anyway. Seven astronauts died when O-rings failed in freezing temperatures. Apply the lessons learned to help avoid future incidents.
Three Key Takeaways:
- Reverse the burden of proof: Require positive proof that something is safe before proceeding, rather than forcing engineers to prove it's unsafe.
- Simplify safety communication: Complex data failed to convince decision-makers, but a simple demonstration (O-ring in ice water) made the danger crystal clear.
- Protect technical authority: Engineers need more than just formal authority to stop unsafe operations — they need genuine psychological safety to exercise that power without career consequences.
This In Case You Missed It episode brings the written word to life. Today, Trish Kerin, the director of Lead Like Kerin, and Stay Safe columnist for Chemical Processing, will read her column "Bird’s-Eye View Prevents Process Safety Groundings," which was published to chemicalprocessing.com on Dec. 17, 2025.
In this year-end episode, hosts Trish Kerin and Traci Purdum welcome Hayley Little, a U.K.-based process safety engineer who tracks quarterly catastrophic incidents on LinkedIn. The discussion explores origin stories in process safety, the critical gap in fundamental safety knowledge outside petrochemical industries, and the alarming frequency of preventable incidents in lower-hazard sectors. They discuss innovative solutions including AI tools, virtual reality training and social media outreach to democratize process safety education. The conversation emphasizes the urgent need for better university training, field presence over desk work and human factors integration to make it easier to "accidentally get it right."
This In Case You Missed It episode brings the written word to life. Today, Trish Kerin, the director of Lead Like Kerin, and Stay Safe columnist for Chemical Processing, will read the first few chapters from her book “The Platypus Philosophy – how to identify and manage weak signals”
This book explores weak signals and focuses on how to identify and manage them to prevent incidents. It uses fun storytelling about the unique platypus as a technique to explain complex concepts and tools.
You can purchase this book on Amazon or snag a signed copy from Trish’s website, leadlikekerin.com.
The Buncefield explosion occurred when a gasoline storage tank overfilled after both its level gauge and independent high-level switch failed. Gasoline vapor formed a massive cloud that ignited, causing significant damage to surrounding business parks. Fortunately, the Sunday morning timing prevented fatalities, though 43 injuries occurred. The incident revealed critical gaps in safety control verification, testing procedures, and maintenance regimes. Twenty years later, the disaster emphasizes the importance of recognizing weak signals, maintaining bund integrity, and ensuring operators actively monitor tank filling operations rather than relying solely on automated systems.
In this episode, Trish Kerin reads her most recent column, which highlights the importance of immediate communication in safety situations, even when complete information isn't yet available to share.
You can read the column here.
Trevor Kletz revolutionized process safety through HAZOP advocacy, inherent safety principles, learning from accidents, and emphasizing design simplification over complex add-ons. In this episode, Trish & Traci discuss his many contributions to the world of process safety.
When OSHA's Process Safety Management (PSM) standard took effect in 1992, it promised a new era of systematic hazard identification. Three decades later, process safety professionals are still witnessing the same critical oversights repeatedly compromising facility safety—oversights that have contributed to near misses, and far worse, major incidents.
Editor-in-Chief Traci Purdum reads an article from Felicia Miller, senior principal engineer at ABSG Consulting and Darshankumar Lakhani, senior manager in engineering at ABSG.
Original article: https://www.chemicalprocessing.com/safety-security/risk-assessment/article/55311485/hidden-hazards-10-common-pha-oversights
This episode explores the critical role of equipment reliability in chemical processing, focusing on three major incidents: Longford, BP Texas City and Buncefield. Trish highlights how faulty instrumentation, poor maintenance and overlooked management of change led to catastrophic failures, fatalities and environmental impacts. The discussion emphasizes safety-critical elements, maintenance KPIs and the importance of accurate instrumentation.
Workers who challenge flawed procedures can improve safety and production. In this episode, Trish Kerin reads her latest column, which details how a trip to Tasmania with her sister turned getting lost into a process safety lesson of not blindly following procedures.
Enjoy as our favorite Australian safety guru guides you through the Bass Strait to Cataract Gorge.
In this episode, Trish Kerin and Traci Purdum discuss process safety insights with Alex Fernando and Warren Smith from Incident Analytics. Their research analyzed over 10,000 incidents across 12 countries and multiple high-risk industries.
Key findings include that organizations often misclassify serious incidents, missing critical learning opportunities. Many safety controls are "difficult" or "unworkable" in practice, with workers adapting procedures to get jobs done despite inadequate equipment or impractical requirements. The research reveals a significant gap between "work as imagined" and "work as done."
A fundamental shift in leadership thinking needs to take place — from asking "why didn't they follow the procedure?" to "why couldn't they follow the procedure?"
References:
Whitepaper 1
Whitepaper 2
This episode revisits the critical topic of permit-to-work systems, exploring how these systems manage the safe transfer of equipment ownership between operations and maintenance teams. Trish & Traci discuss key elements, different permit types, common failures, and the tragic Piper Alpha disaster.
Mastering Tim Tam timing mirrors process safety's critical risk-reward balance. Get it right and you’ll reap rewards.
As the bickie became gooey in my fingers, I knew the moment was now — time to slam that Tim Tam.
A Tim Tam is an Australian bickie — or cookie, to those of you in the U.S. It was created in 1964 by Arnott’s and is an iconic Aussie treat. It consists of two rectangular bickies with a flavored cream filling that is coated in chocolate. A Tim Tam Slam is a unique way to consume the bickie. The steps are as follows:
This 100th episode of "Process Safety With Trish and Traci" examines the 2003 Space Shuttle Columbia disaster through the lens of due diligence. Columbia disintegrated during re-entry after foam debris damaged heat shield tiles during launch. The podcast explores how NASA normalized foam strikes over time, turning "lessons of failure into memories of success." Multiple intervention opportunities were missed due to inadequate resources, poor communication, and cultural barriers.
On a sunny summer day in 2007 near Wichita, Kansas, a tanker truck was offloading naphthalene into a stainless-steel tank at a solvent tank farm when the container spontaneously ignited, catching fire and exploding, shooting projectiles in the air. This led to the evacuation of thousands in a nearby community. While there were no casualties, the explosion destroyed the entire storage facility, luckily not causing any injuries or fatalities in the nearby community.
An investigation determined that electrostatic charge buildup had caused a spark that ignited a solvent-air mixer in the vapor space in the vessel receiving naphtha from the tanker truck.
In this episode, Traci Purdum, CP's editor-in-chief, reads an article from authors Tom Patnaik and Christian Stentzel -- both of Thaletec. The article was published May 21, 2025.
Risk assessment should still be a manual process, but AI can streamline data collection to enable sound engineering judgments.
In this episode, Trish and Traci welcome guest Dheerajkumar Narang, whose research examines how AI and machine learning can enhance process safety compliance. Traditional compliance methods are time-consuming and fragmented across different systems, while AI can automate data collection, identify leading indicators and predict compliance outcomes. Key challenges include system integration with legacy infrastructure and maintaining domain expertise for regulatory updates. AI should streamline processes to allow operators to focus on critical tasks.
In this episode, Trish and Traci discuss the catastrophic failure at Queensland's Callide Power Station C4 on May 25, 2021, which caused power outages for 470,000 people. During a routine switching operation to replace DC battery systems, a voltage drop was misinterpreted as an AC fault, triggering a cascading failure. Both AC and DC systems failed, leaving the turbine without lubrication while it continued spinning backwards at 3,000 RPM.
The incident demonstrates that process safety principles apply beyond traditional chemical plants to any high-hazard environment. Key lessons include proper hazard identification, functioning safety controls, and maintaining culture, leadership, accountability and governance in safety management.
This In Case You Missed It episode brings the written word to life. Today, Trish Kerin, the director of Lead Like Kerin, and Stay Safe columnist for Chemical Processing, will read her column “Wield Questions to Learn and Teach”
“Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought him back.” – A proverb made modern by Eugene O’Neill.
Have you ever asked a question at work and were surprised by the answer? Over the course of my career, this has happened many times. Sometimes, the answer was genuinely new to me. Other times, I was surprised that someone thought the answer they provided was legitimate. In both cases, I learned something.
Written By: Trish Kerin
Read By: Trish Kerin
Read Article HERE
Remembering the human toll of Texas City and Deepwater Horizon and applying those lessons learned can prevent similar tragedies.
In this episode, Trish and Traci discuss two major BP incidents: the 2005 Texas City Refinery explosion that killed 15 workers when an overfilled tower created a geyser of hot raffinate that ignited, and the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion that killed 11 workers and caused the largest U.S. marine oil spill when cement failed to properly seal a well. Key factors included faulty equipment, misleading indicators, inappropriate safety messaging and failure to learn from near-misses. These tragedies led to industry-wide improvements, including standardized process safety metrics, occupied building risk assessments, and better hazard management.
Have you ever done a double-take when looking at an inspection photograph? I certainly did when an engineer at a valve manufacturer sent me an inspection photograph and asked, “See anything wrong with this picture?” “Yeah,” I replied. Someone had installed two expansion relief valves back-to-back on the body bleed of a twin-seated plug valve used for isolation in our gasoline tank farm. The valve casting safety port was cracked because expansion flow was choked. “Dumb, really dumb,” I remarked. How did this get by?
In this podcast, Trish and Traci discuss the importance of storytelling in process safety. Trish shares two influential stories from her career and personal life. She outlines effective storytelling using the "four Cs": context, conflict, conclusion, and call to action. She emphasizes starting with a memorable moment to engage audiences, matching tone to content gravity, and personalizing stories.
Welcome to the In Case You Missed It edition of Process Safety with Trish and Traci -- the podcast that aims to share insights from past incidents to help avoid future events.
This In Case You Missed It episode brings the written word to life. Today, Trish Kerin, the director of Lead Like Kerin and Stay Safe columnist for Chemical Processing will read her column “An Engineer’s Process Safety Evolution.”
A former Formula One engineer has developed an AI copilot that can suggest questions, reference incident databases and provide support. But don’t worry, humans still have the last word.
Safety experts share strategies to revitalize job hazard analysis programs. A piece of paper won’t save your life, but what’s on that paper could.
Trish and Traci, along with guest Valerie Stakes, discuss five steps to improve job hazard analysis (JHA) programs: honest program evaluation, form clarity, embedding JHAs in other documents, improved training and increasing visibility through collaboration.
We’ve extracted a few gems from the 2024 season of Process Safety with Trish & Traci. Listen in as we discuss recurring accidents, emergency systems and organizational learning.
This In Case You Missed It episode brings the written word to life. Today, Trish Kerin, Chemical Processing’s Stay Safe columnist, will read her column “Process Safety Lessons from Bhopal 40 Years Later”
Written By: Trish Kerin
Read By: Trish Kerin
Read Article
The Bhopal tragedy of 1984 at a Union Carbide pesticide plant in India killed thousands of people. The incident resulted from multiple safety failures: contaminated methyl isocyanate (MIC) storage, disabled safety systems and poor plant management. It led to significant changes in process safety, including the development of OSHA's Process Safety Management standard, the Center for Chemical Process Safety, and international safety directives like the Seveso protocol. Chemical engineer Ramin Abhari has created graphic novels to communicate the lessons learned, emphasizing the importance of inherently safer design, proper management of change and maintaining critical safety systems during plant decommissioning.
In this episode, Trish and Traci discuss the 1984 Mexico City LPG disaster in Mexico, where a pipe burst at a Pemex facility. This led to a massive explosion equivalent to five Hiroshima bombs. A combination of factors, including poor management of change, inadequate fireproofing and proximity to residential areas, resulted in 500 deaths. Key lessons included the importance of proper land use planning, risk assessment and fire protection.
Chemical Processing recently hosted a webinar on the importance of process safety during transient operations. Normal operations include continuous and batch processes, while abnormal situations involve plant upsets or deviations from typical parameters. Loss of control can lead to unscheduled shutdowns, and emergency situations may require immediate action. For all scenarios, proper instrumentation, risk assessment and decision-making are critical. Trish Kerin, director of the IChemE Safety Centre and co-host of the Process Safety with Trish & Traci podcast series, served as the subject matter expert and emphasized that process safety revolves around leadership, focusing on knowledge, engineering, systems and human factors.
Welcome to the In Case You Missed It edition of Process Safety with Trish and Traci -- the podcast that aims to share insights from past incidents to help avoid future events. I’m Traci Purdum, EIC of Chemical Processing. Please subscribe to this free podcast on your favorite platform to continue learning with Trish & me in this series.
This In Case You Missed It episode brings the written word to life. Today, Trish Kerin, the director of IChemE Safety Centre, and Stay Safe columnist for Chemical Processing, will read her column “Knowledge Is Power – Or Is It?”
"Knowledge is power" — a phrase commonly attributed to Francis Bacon's 1597 work Meditationes Sacrae — has endured for centuries, echoed by influential figures like Thomas Jefferson. However, this adage, while impactful, may only scratch the surface of a deeper truth.
When it comes to process safety, we need people to understand a range of aspects, from the basis of design to the operating philosophy. In other words, we need them to have knowledge.
Written By: Trish Kerin
Read By: Trish Kerin
Read Article HERE
On the 35th anniversary of the deadly event we examine how routine maintenance can go horribly wrong.
Welcome to the In Case You Missed It edition of Process Safety with Trish and Traci -- the podcast that aims to share insights from past incidents to help avoid future events. I’m Traci Purdum, EIC of Chemical Processing.
This In Case You Missed It episode brings the written word to life. Today, I will be reading a column by our editor at large Sean Ottewell “Safety Lessons from the Great Molasses Flood of 1919” -- Discover the catastrophic events of the Great Molasses Flood, where engineering failures led to a deadly wave of syrup in Boston’s North End.
Written By: Seán Ottewell, editor-at-large
Read By: Traci Purdum, editor-in-chief
Read Article HERE https://www.chemicalprocessing.com/voices/ottewell/article/55055791/safety-lessons-from-the-great-molasses-flood-of-1919
In this episode of Process Safety with Trish and Traci we interview Fiona Erskine, an engineer and crime novelist who has a passion for process safety. Fiona discusses balancing her engineering career with writing and how she uses her novels to educate readers about process safety and engineering concepts. Her Dr. Jaq Silver series combines thrilling plots with accurate technical details, making complex topics accessible to non-experts.
Our tendency to underestimate the likelihood of rare occurrences can lead us to dismiss the possibility of process safety incidents.
This In Case You Missed It episode brings the written word to life. Today, Trish Kerin, the director of IChemE Safety Centre and Stay Safe columnist for Chemical Processing, will read her column “It’s Not Impossible That It’s Possible”
Written By: Trish Kerin
Read By: Trish Kerin
Read Article HERE
The standard's industry-agnostic approach, its potential to influence global PSM practices and its role in setting benchmarks for organizations not covered by traditional legislation will impact safety practices worldwide.
In this episode, Trish & Traci discuss the Canadian Process Safety Management (PSM) standard CSA Z767, the world's first national PSM standard. Adrian Pierorazio and Parnian Jadidian — part of the team that crafted the standard — explain its development, starting as a guideline and evolving into a national standard to provide a unified framework for PSM across various industries in Canada. The standard was updated in 2024 to incorporate industry feedback and expand key sections.
The plant floor at the West Pharmaceuticals facility in Kingston, N.C., was kept spotless to meet hygiene requirements. However, combustible polyethylene dust accumulated in the suspended ceiling. This led to a dust explosion on January 29, 2003, that killed six workers, injured 38, and destroyed the plant. The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) couldn’t identify the ignition source.
As I noted in a previous column, the CSB blames dust explosions for numerous fatalities at many plants. Let’s get into how to identify the risks of dust fires and explosions.
Written By: Dirk Willard
Read By: Traci Purdum
Read Article HERE
Control system failures, alarm floods, maintenance issues and emergency response factored into this non-deadly incident.
In this guest podcast episode from our sister publication Processing, Senior Editor Nate Todd interviews Chris Cloney of Dust Safety Science. In this episode, we discover that awareness of dust hazards varies globally, often spiking after major incidents but waning over time. The company tracks dust-related incidents annually, noting significant events like the 2023 grain silo explosion in Brazil. Common hazards involve grain, wood and metal dusts, with equipment like dust collectors and silos frequently implicated. Emerging industries like 3D printing and robotics present new challenges. Dust Safety Science emphasizes ongoing education and risk assessment to prevent future incidents.
The U.S. Chemical Safety Board identified five issues with the 2019 Philadelphia Energy Solutions Refinery fire and explosion: mechanical integrity, outdated equipment, lack of remote emergency isolation valves, safeguard reliability and the need for inherently safer design.
https://www.chemicalprocessing.com/podcast/process-safety-with-trish-and-traci
Understanding the two kinds of change, deliberate and creeping, will aid you in keeping your facility a safe place to work.
As we look back 50 years, we can see both deliberate and creeping change played significant roles in the catastrophic explosion and fire that tore through the Nypro plant in Flixborough, U.K., resulting in the tragic loss of 28 lives and leaving 89 others injured.
The Flixborough disaster in 1974 resulted in 28 fatalities and significant damage, leading to the introduction of management of change processes, improved asset integrity practices, emphasis on competency management, and enhanced control room safety measures. This landmark incident highlighted the importance of multidisciplinary collaboration and continues to serve as a lesson in process safety.
Time is critical when tracking down hazardous substances. Whether it’s trying to mitigate safety incidents before they happen or being able to tap all the pertinent information during an emergency involving a chemical spill, fire or natural disaster, having an efficient way to trace every ingredient is paramount.
This crossover episode first appeared in our Distilled podcast series.
In this episode, Trish & Traci interview Stephen J. Wallace, a former investigator with the U.S. Chemical Safety Board and author of the book "Hazardous Lies." Wallace offers insights into the world of process safety investigations and the motivation behind his fictional thriller. Wallace draws from his real-life experiences to craft a realistic portrayal of the challenges faced by investigators, including companies' attempts to hide the truth, ethical dilemmas and the courage required to uncover the root causes of accidents.
The incident at Formosa Plastics in 2004 highlighted critical lessons in process safety. Human factors, communication gaps and inadequate equipment played significant roles in the death of five workers.
This In Case You Missed It episode of Process Safety with Trish & Traci brings the written word to life. Today, I will be reading an excerpt from a column written a few years ago by John Bresland, president of Process Safety Risk Assessment LLC and former chair of the United States Chemical Safety Board. The column “10 Rules To Succeed at Process Safety Management."
Written by: John Bresland
Read by: Traci Purdum
URL: https://www.chemicalprocessing.com/safety-security/fire-explosion-protection/article/11321430/10-rules-to-succeed-at-process-safety-management-chemical-processing
It's crucial to operate within our professional boundaries and effectively mitigate risks when operating beyond them. In this In Case You Missed It episode, Trish Kerin, director of the IChemE Safety Centre, reads her most recent column:
Embrace Challenges, Recognize Limits, Manage Risks
In this episode, we offer 7 steps for better cybersecurity.
If you are a process control engineer, an IT professional in a company with an automation division, or a business manager responsible for safety or security, you may be wondering how your organization can get moving on more robust cybersecurity practices.
View the transcript for links to all the materials mentioned in this podcast.
https://www.chemicalprocessing.com/process-safety-w-trish-traci/article/33038811/tipisodes-7-steps-to-better-cybersecurity
Boeing was known for its engineering excellence until a focus on profitability took over. Properly documenting management of change and recognizing weak signals could have prevented tragedy.
In this episode of Process Safety with Trish & Traci, we discuss the aviation industry's Boeing 737 MAX crisis and how it revealed critical management failures, emphasizing the importance of rigorous management of change, prioritizing safety over profitability and identifying weak signals. The mishaps stemmed from design flaws and inadequate pilot training, highlighting the need for systemic improvements to prevent similar tragedies. Lessons extend to other industries, emphasizing proactive risk mitigation and a culture of safety.
A hazard and operability study (HAZOP) mostly is a safety design check, not a design development review. Making and finalizing major design choices should occur long before a HAZOP.
In this In Case You Missed It Episode, Traci Purdum reads a column from Plant InSites columnist Andrew Sloley.
Written By: Andrew Sloley
Read By: Traci Purdum
Read Article: https://www.chemicalprocessing.com/voices/plant-insites/article/21437737/use-hazops-properly
In today's episode, Trish and Traci discuss inherently safer design principles, emphasizing proactive safety measures. Trish shares examples, such as separating hazardous substances from work areas and minimizing potential risks through thoughtful design choices. They highlight challenges like maintaining design integrity throughout project phases and stress the importance of documenting safety rationale for future reference. The discussion extends to the intersection of inherently safer design with sustainability, emphasizing the need for ongoing vigilance and communication to ensure safer facilities and environments.
Daily experiences vary, but key events hold lessons. Reflection is vital for learning and shaping success.
Written By: Trish Kerin
Read By: Trish Kerin
Read Article HERE https://www.chemicalprocessing.com/voices/stay-safe/article/33018718/the-difference-between-experiences-and-learning-in-process-safety
In their podcast, Trish and Traci discuss the importance of commemorating anniversaries of incidents, emphasizing the need to learn from the past. Trish highlights two reasons for reflection: learning from past events to prevent recurrence and honoring those who lost their lives. They delve into various historical incidents, such as the IChemE Safety Centre's 10th anniversary, the LNG explosion in Algeria, the Boston molasses spill, the flour dust explosion in Germany, the Valdez oil spill, Flixborough, the Phillips Petroleum incident in Texas, and the 40-year anniversary of the Bhopal disaster. The discussion underscores the ongoing relevance of these incidents and the importance of continuous learning in process safety.
Welcome to the crossover edition of Process Safety with Trish and Traci -- the podcast that aims to share insights from past incidents to help avoid future events. I’m Traci Purdum, EIC of Chemical Processing.
Today’s crossover is from our Chemical Processing Distilled podcast series. I recently spoke with Dave Strobhar, founder and principal human factors engineer for Beville Engineering. We discussed
Unlocking Efficiency By Reducing Emergency Procedures. This conversation struck me as a perfect addition to the Trish & Traci series, so without further adieu, let’s listen in.
In this episode, Trish and Traci, along with guest Melissa Humphries, discuss the challenges of intuitively understanding uncertainty and likelihoods in risk assessments. They highlight the common pitfalls of dismissing low-likelihood events and the impact of human nature on risk perception. Melissa explains statistical concepts like risk and uncertainty, emphasizing the importance of communicating findings effectively. They delve into the role of statistical methods in identifying influential factors affecting risk and stress the need for storytelling and stakeholder engagement in conveying complex statistical results.
This In Case You Missed It episode brings the written word to life. Today, Trish Kerin, the director of IChemE Safety Centre, and Stay Safe columnist for Chemical Processing, will read her column “Reflecting On Tragedy Can Improve Process Safety,” which appeared in the December 2023 edition of our magazine.
Written By: Trish Kerin
Read By: Trish Kerin
Read Article HERE
In the podcast episode, Traci and Trish discuss the 31st anniversary of the La Mède Refinery explosion in France, detailing the events and the consequences, including six fatalities and significant financial loss. Trish emphasizes the importance of rigorous corrosion inspection programs and the need for comprehensive risk assessments in facility design. They explore legal implications, questioning the attribution of blame to specific individuals. The conversation shifts to the need for explosion-proof control rooms and considerations for retrofitting existing facilities. Traci raises the importance of space between units to prevent a domino effect during explosions, and Trish highlights various mitigation measures, including advanced firefighting techniques and vapor barriers. The episode underscores the continual evolution of safety technologies and emphasizes the importance of embracing new developments to enhance facility safety.
This episode discusses the 1989 Pasadena chemical plant explosion that claimed 23 lives. The incident led to the modernization of process safety measures in the U.S. Trish and Traci emphasize the importance of dedicated firewater systems, meticulous maintenance procedures, and strategies to combat complacency. They also explore the use of case studies and emphasize the positive legacy of Mary Kay O'Connor in promoting process safety. Subscribe to stay informed and visit chemicalprocessing.com for additional resources.
Plants with good safety performance can become complacent over time, and lessons learned from incidents are often forgotten. It's crucial to instill and maintain a culture of constant unease to ensure ongoing safety.
According to the article, Former chair of the UK’s Health and Safety Executive Judith Hackitt bluntly warns: “Be clear that your role is to create unease, not to provide false (re)assurance.”
In any facility, we always need to consider the risks and ensure we are managing them with appropriate controls to ensure process safety. Especially when we make changes, we need to ensure that different circumstances are considered.
In this episode, we discuss risk assessment. The chemical industry is a high-hazard industry. That does not mean it has to be high-risk. We have to effectively manage risk to prevent an incident, and then if prevention fails, mitigate the consequences. If we get this wrong, people die.
In our latest episode, we sit down with Dr. Cheryl Bodnar, one of the brilliant minds behind "Contents Under Pressure," an immersive game designed to teach process safety. Discover the story behind the game and its impact on education and industry.
https://contentsunderpressure.engineering.uconn.edu/
Transcript: https://chemicalprocessing.com/33010965
By following these tips, chemical facilities can enhance the effectiveness of their process-hazard reviews in the Management of Change (MoC) process, minimizing the risk of missing critical safety considerations and ensuring a robust safety management system.
In Case You Missed It edition of Process Safety with Trish and Traci. In Case You Missed It brings the written word to life. In today’s episode, Trish Kerin, the director of IChemE Safety Centre, and Stay Safe columnist for Chemical Processing, will read her column “Prepare For The Worst”, which appeared in the August 2023 edition of Chemical Processing magazine. She explains how safety training saved her from dying during a scuba diving mishap
The tragedy exposed various deficiencies in safety management and emergency response. It remains a stark reminder of the importance of rigorous risk assessment, effective control measures, continuous monitoring of safety systems, and fostering a culture where workers feel empowered to stop unsafe work.
Weak signals occur all around us every day, but we often either fail to notice them -- or their significance. It might be an unexpected or unexplainable alarm, a lead indicator that may be easily dismissed as false, or an observation by a worker. Apply the Platypus Philosophy to recognize these signals and make your facility safer.
Inspired by a recent study about DuPont and 3M's knowledge of the toxicity of PFAS chemicals, this podcast discusses the importance of transparency and emphasizes the need for professionals to exercise their ethical judgment and stand up for what is right.
The cause of the explosion was traced back to a heat exchanger at the plant. Written procedures, checklists, redundancy and assessing risks for transient and unusual operations can help avoid catastrophe.
In this Fast Facts edition of Process Safety with Trish & Traci we discuss the lessons learned that led to the four principles of inherent safety as championed by the late Trevor Kletz. Many lives could be saved if the rules are applied.
A corroded vapor line caused the deadly incident. This episode talks about ways to stay ahead of corrosion concerns and how to better protect workers in case of unthinkable catastrophe.
Storytelling as a means of communication is a valuable tool to help people learn and retain important lessons. It is not about making things up but rather creating a memorable interaction.
Cognitive biases lead to process-safety events. By getting our brains used to looking for the unusual, we can better manage safety in our facilities. Trish Kerin, director of the IChemE Safety Centre, has staked her entire professional engineering career on talking about a weird animal as a way to try and help people understand and manage their weak signals. Transcript can be found at https://www.chemicalprocessing.com
Trish and Traci discuss the response to the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment noting that environmental factors could be an issue for some time. Also, this episode unpacks how ExxonMobil was able to weather a hurricane just five miles from the epicenter without loss of containment. Access the full transcript at https://www.chemicalprocessing.com/podcasts/article/11354264/chemical-processing-podcasts
Insight into rescue challenges and solutions at chemical facilities.
Visit https://www.chemicalprocessing.com for more tools and resources aimed at helping you be efficient and safe.
Turning tragedy into tools to help avoid future catastrophes will help keep workers safe.
The workplace can be so much more for colleagues than simply doing a job and going home. If you want to succeed, you need to listen and communicate as it's the currency of safety.
Practice, practice and more practice makes great emergency response but be careful of the message you are sending.
Unlike the oil industry, we can set the foundation of embedding inherently safer design into how we manage hydrogen going forward.
This can be a heated topic and it can get politicized. We need to make sure we're really applying inherently safer design principles when we pick the concept that we are going with, let alone do the engineering down the track
Grandfathered standards from the 1950s along with incorrect blueprints led to loss of life and reputation.
A revolutionary process safety program at a refinery in Blaine, Washington presents challenges in the best ways possible -- by helping operators develop new skills and flex new muscles. It’s always a good day when somewhere in the world a new process-safety champion has been formed.
This episode looks back on the deadly dust explosion that occurred at Didion Milling in Cambria, Wisconsin. On May 31, 2017, the explosion killed five workers and injured 15 others.
In mid-May 2022 a federal grand jury indicted the operator and six management officials on nine criminal counts, including two counts related to willful violations of federal workplace safety standards for grain handling.
The war in Ukraine and the anniversary of Chernobyl bring to light lessons learned from the past and unfortunate worries of today.
Process safety is impacted by automation, robotics, devices and solutions. Whether the impact is positive or negative remains in the hands of humans who implement the technology.
What went wrong at the Piper Alpha oil rig has taught us a lot about permit-to-work systems. They are in place to ensure control of the ownership and activities of a particular piece of equipment -- it’s about keeping people safe and also understanding the status of your plant.
Good process safety means good reliability … good reliability means good productivity … good productivity is what makes us money. Sometimes you have to talk about the bottom line in order to get buy-in for process-safety initiatives.
A review of 2021’s process-safety incidents points out that there's nothing new in any of these events; there's no new technology pathway, there's no new chemical reaction or law of chemistry or physics. That means these are all preventable incidents. What are you doing at your facilities to understand these hazards?
If you're relying on humans getting it right every time, you're going to have an incident. The key is making sure your systems are more resilient to humans making a mistake
The chemical industry has been doing risk assessment the same way for quite some time. This new method focuses on subtle changes, which can lead to degradation of design safeguards.
IChemE’s Trish Kerin ponders that $64,000 question as she and Traci Purdum look back at lessons learned from the Montara oil field incident in 2009.
Was the Seveso accident, which released dioxin in the air and was named by Time magazine as one of the top manmade environmental disasters, a black swan event? Not likely, according to Trish Kerin, director of the IChemE Safety Centre. On the 45th anniversary of this catastrophic event, we take a look at lessons learned.
A money-grab hack prompted executive orders to get cybersecurity under control at firms supplying the government. Private companies will have to comply even if they aren’t the primary contractor.
Preparing for the worst is in a facility’s best interest. Indeed, in 2020 there were over 800 natural and man-made disasters that resulted in $4.5 trillion in damages.
This episode of Process Safety with Trish & Traci features Dale Sands, an expert in risk reduction and resiliency.
The catastrophic incident at the Fukushima power plant 10 years ago started long before an earthquake and tsunami wiped out power and caused three reactor meltdowns -- the real problem started in 1967 when the plant was built in a tsunami-prone area. The lessons learned from this disaster can save others.
Advertising so many days since the last injury can do more harm than good at a facility. The absence of an incident doesn't mean the presence of safety. Focusing on the correct indicators can help you intervene and potentially change the future. In this episode, Trish & Traci prove when the measure becomes a target it ceases to be a good measure.
When disaster strikes, first responders already have a tough job ahead of them. Don’t put them in further danger by failing to effectively communicate what your facility does and what hazardous substances are stored there.
It starts with the idea of the inherently safer design principle and that involves elimination. You can take out one hazard but are you increasing the presence of other hazards? What's better? What's worse? This is a judgment call that needs to be made on an engineering basis.
This episode reiterates that process safety requires constant vigilance. The challenge is when it works well, nothing goes wrong. People then question if you really need to spend all that money on safety efforts. The reason nothing is going wrong is because you’re doing it right.
A heat exchanger, management of change issues and a gap in knowledge led to a catastrophic incident. All of these were preventable mistakes. When will we learn?
In this episode Trish and Traci speak with podcast guest Valerie Stakes, a bilingual safety trainer based in San Diego, California.
The trio conclude companies need to ensure that communications are understandable because process safety doesn't give you second chances.
To mark the 15th anniversary of the Mumbai High North Platform disaster, Trish and Traci discussed what happened that day in 2005. This incident started off as a rather mundane issue -- the cook at the site was injured and needed evacuation. A series of unfortunate events, precipitated by weather conditions, led to the deaths of 22 people. All said, 362 people needed to be rescued that day. The major lesson learned: you have to be creative when thinking about what could go wrong.
Trains carrying dangerous cargo like crude oil -- is it the right way to go? Applying process safety principles like inherently safer design could prevent derailments, explosions and deaths. In this episode, Trish & Traci examine the recent uptick in crude oil derailments and what could be done to prevent them.
In this episode of Process Safety with Trish & Traci, we learn how Trish landed in the role of director of the IChemE Safety Centre. The mishaps and safety incidents she was involved in led to her passion to ensure process-safety standards were practiced all over the world. It's a dream job that began with an aviation fueling accident.
Having to accommodate social distancing practices along with other precautions to ensure workers are safe is a challenge but not insurmountable. Trish & Traci discuss new ways to do old things
You can effectively address your workforce if you factor in how you will interact with the attendees, how you will get their feedback, how you will encourage discussion amongst them.
This episode of Process Safety With Trish & Traci uncovers best practices for presenting and attending safety training virtually.
This podcast takes a look at major process safety incidents -- West Texas, Deepwater Horizon and others. Trish Kerin, director of IChemE Safety Centre, and Traci Purdum, senior editor with Chemical Processing, discuss what happened and what was learned.
This episode of Process Safety With Trish & Traci details tips and tactics to better lead during trying times -- whether it’s a global pandemic or just a time of critical importance. Spoiler: Self-care is important as is a sense of fun.
Having thorough and up-to-date process safety documentation will enable plant personnel and first responders to act quickly. Knowledge is power -- be sure that if something goes wrong you know what to do about it. This episode of Process Safety with Trish & Traci offers sage advice.
Is inherently safer design really safer? Short answer is yes -- but you have to understand the tradeoffs. In this edition of Process Safety with Trish & Traci we delve into past incidents and lessons learned. We also reveal a fun fact about Trevor Kletz.
This episode of Process Safety with Trish & Traci discusses the topic of punishment for acts that directly relate to safety incidents. While true accidents happen, there are cases where corporate wrongdoing is the reason for injury or loss of life.
Today's topic is a news story from earlier this year regarding the fire and explosions and ultimate shuttering of the Philadelphia Energy Solutions oil refinery. The official word from the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board is that a corroded pipe fitting, found to be half the thickness of a credit card at its thinnest point, led to that incident. The concern is that the pipe, which was installed when Richard Nixon was president -- 1973 -- went all this time without being properly checked.
It's not a question of if you will get hacked -- it's a question of when. Traci Purdum, senior digital editor of Chemical Processing, and Trish Kerin, director of IChemE Safety Centre, discuss cyber vulnerabilities and how to stay ahead of the bad actors wanting to stymie your operations.
The aftermath of a hurricane or extreme weather goes well beyond the event itself. Many issues arise that can cause problems months or even years later. How do you prepare for the current weather and mitigate against accidents in the future?
Trish Kerin, director of IChemE Safety Center, and Traci Purdum, senior editor at Chemical Processing, discuss process safety regulations. In the end, a safe workspace is a productive workspace and regulations aren't meant to keep you down -- they are meant to keep you safe. The key is making sure regulators are educated enough to help you reach your safety goals.
In this episode of Process Safety with Trish and Traci we examine recent catastrophic events at chemical plants in China. Trish Kerin, director of the IChemE Safety Center offers compelling insight into what might be causing so many accidents abroad.