Examining the Domino Effect in OSHA's Process Safety Management Pillars

Focused on building technical relationships between industry professionals and government and academic researchers, the 15th Annual AIChE Midwest Regional Conference will be chaired by Exponent Thermal Sciences Senior Associate Jessica M. Morris, Ph.D., who will deliver two keynote addresses and chair the Process Safety Session on April 11, as well as provide the conference introduction on April 12. Exponent's Thermal Sciences Senior Associate Nick Schulman will serve as session co-chair of the Process Safety Session and Thermal Sciences Associate Trevor Lardinois, Ph.D., CFEI, will serve as session chair of the Catalysis I and II sessions on April 12. Thermal Sciences Managing Engineer Matt Walters, Ph.D., P.E., CFEI, served as part of the steering committee for this year's conference (having chaired the 14th Annual AIChE MRC Conference in 2022) and will be part of the career panel for the High School Outreach program teaching local high school students about engineering. With his colleague, Thermal Sciences Managing Engineer David Hietala, Ph.D., P.E., CFEI, will be serving as a volunteer for the High School Outreach program as well.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration process safety management (PSM) program provides a continuous, systematic approach to manage process safety. The PSM pillars have interdependency, and the effectiveness of the program is related to the implementation of the program pillars. At the AIChE Midwest Regional Conference 2023 in Chicago, Illinois — chaired by Thermal Sciences Senior Associate Jessica M. Morris, Ph.D., and joined by fellow practice speakers and attendees — Thermal Sciences Associate Domingo Elias will present case study findings about how one PSM element breakdown created a domino effect in other PSM pillars and resulted in a plant safety incident.