Process Safety with Trish & Traci

Deadly Lessons from BP Disasters

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.

Stop Stupidity with Relief Devices

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?

4 Cs of Effective Process Safety Storytelling

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.

An Engineer’s Process Safety Evolution

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.” 

Can an AI Copilot Streamline HAZOPs?

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.

Job Hazard Analysis Makeover: 5 Crucial Steps

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.

6 Process Safety Pearls of Wisdom

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.

Process Safety Lessons from Bhopal 40 Years Later

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 

Butterflies of Bhopal -- Lessons Written in Blood

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.

What Have We Learned from the Pemex LPG Explosion in Mexico City?

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.