Process Safety with Trish & Traci

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.

A deep understanding of risks empowers us to make informed decisions

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