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.

Process Safety with Trish & Traci

New Tool In Process Hazard Analysis: Delta HAZOP

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. 

Could Deepwater Horizon Have Been Prevented?

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.

Lessons Learned From Seveso -- One Of the Biggest Manmade Environmental Disasters

A hack at SolarWinds in 2020 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. The Colonial Pipeline hack solidified the need.

The Ripple Effect Of Recent Cybersecurity Breaches

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 Cost Of Climate Change On Process Safety

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.

Lessons Learned From The Fukushima Disaster 10 Years Later

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.

Focus On The Right Process Safety Indicators

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.

Importance Of Partnering With First Responders

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.

How to apply process safety during the concept-select phase

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? 

Lessons Learned From The Longford Gas Explosion That Killed Two

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.

How do you ensure your safety message is understood in multiple languages?

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.

Catastrophe At The Hands Of Legacy Design Issues

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.

Transporting Dangerous Cargo Via Train -- Is It The Right Way To Go?

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.

Mistakes Make Good Leaders

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 

How the Chemical Industry is Adjusting to the New Norm

Sharing insight from recent process-safety incidents to avoid accidents at chemical processing plants.

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Process Safety with Trish & Traci

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