Chemical, Hazard, and Mechanical Safety Expert in Plant and Process Environments

Expertise

• Hazard and risk assessments: Identification and quantification of hazards and risks, definition of practical protection measures
• Root cause analysis: Incident investigation, determining the cause and effect relationship and defining effective preventive measures.
• Working to systematically and significantly improve process safety performance in a sustainable fashion.
• Manufacturing performance improvements: Incident rate reduction, yields, and cycle time reduction.

Expert Witness Experience

• Consultation and root cause analysis for engineering firm and law firm representing families killed in a toxic chemical release.
• Consultation and root cause analysis for law firm representing company who experienced significant property damage and down time due to explosion in a common utility system, explosion was caused by another company.
• Provided consultation to engineering firm and law firm representing company that had a toxic chemical release with many claims of exposure in the public.

Experience

Undisclosed Company, Principal-Chemical Engineer, Present

• Provide consultation in the areas of chemical process safety and risk management.
• Development of risk management standards.
• Hazard and risk analysis, establishment of risk management plans.
• Incident Investigations.
• Bottom line process safety performance improvement.
• Subject matter expert for resolution of legal cases.

The Dow Chemical Company, Midland, MI and Houston, TX, 1981 - 2015

Chief Process Safety Engineer and Global Director of Process Safety, 2009 - 2015

• Development and application of technology, management systems, and hazard and risk assessment tools designed to protect people, property, and the environment by controlling the risks of unplanned events..
• Address and resolve: Fires, explosions, reactive chemical incidents and chemical releases.
• Corporate stewardship responsibility to assure that these are appropriately applied in all businesses and applicable functions within the company.
• Worked with stakeholders to evaluate risk and performance and success in guiding cross-functional teams in the design of pragmatic technology solutions and administrative controls and driving improved process safety and operational reliability performance.
• Manager of the Process Safety Technology Center consisting of 70 reports responsible for the development and global application of technology, management systems, and hazard and risk assessment tools
• Led Corporate Process Safety Tier 1 & 2 Incident Reduction team, achieving a 75 % reduction in 4 years and leading the industry in incident rate performance
• Defined and implemented corporate wide Process Safety Tier 3 & 4 Metrics as leading indicators for Tier 1 & 2 Incidents.
• Coordination and oversight of legal compliance and risk reduction capital program.
• Coordination and facilitation of facility and business risk classification system for review of facility / business Risk Management Plans with Sr. Executives.
• Coordination and facilitation of Process Safety Management System Reviews with Sr. Executives and the Board of Directors.

Process Safety Discipline Manager (Reactive Chemical, Mechanical Integrity), 2002 - 2009

• Direct responsibility for the development of technology, management systems, and hazard and risk assessment tools, led teams to upgrade or develop mechanical integrity, combustible dust and safety system impairment standards.
• Training of discipline and business technology practitioner on work processes and tools.
• Led corporate process safety Tier 1 Incident Reduction team, achieved 40 % reduction.
• Leveraged process safety work processes and practices within the businesses consistent with process safety goals.

Plant Manager, Various Dow Sites, 1981 - 2002

• Series of progressively more responsible positions: Engineer, Supervisor, Project Manager, Plant Manager, EH&S Manager and Site Manager.
• Oversaw safety and efficient operation of the Hebron, Ohio Film Center.
• Coaching and development of 80 personnel, salary, hourly and contractors, salaried environment.
• Achieved year after year yield and production records.
• Preferred site for introduction of new products.
• Leveraged EH&S programs, work processes and practices and improving performance for the Styrofoam business across 27 facilities globally.
• Developed business specific plans for achieving 10 year EH&S incident reduction goals, accountability for results. Achieved 40% reduction in 3 years.
• EH&S Programs and Performance at the Hanging Rock, Ohio and Riverside, Missouri Sites.
• Hanging Rock, Ohio Site Waste Water Treatment Plant Supervisor.
• Plant Manager: Styrofoam Plant in Hanging Rock Ohio and EPS Plant in Midland, Michigan.
• Responsible for the safe and efficient operation, new product introductions
• Project Manager for the design and construction of a pharmaceutical plant in Midland Michigan.
• Held series engineering and supervisory positions with increasing responsibility:
• Phenol, Acetone Plant - Freeport, Texas
• Epichlorohydrin, Glycerine Plant - Freeport, Texas.
• Probucol, Terfinadine and Citrucel Pharmaceutical Plant - Midland, Michigan

Honors & Publications

Credentials

• Six Sigma Black Belt, The Dow Chemical Company, Midland, MI

Academic and Professional Affiliations

• American Institute of Chemical Engineers
• Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS), Fellow

Publications

• Author and Co-Author of Topics in Process Safety, Reactive Chemicals and Mechanical Integrity for Articles and Educational Text

Education

• B.S. Chemical Engineering, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI