Process Safety and HSE experts from the region are attending a 2 day workshop on developing new strategies to strengthen process safety which opened today on a good note with opening remarks from Andy Bartlett, QHSE Consultant for Petrotechnics, Strategic Sponsor at Sofitel The Corniche, Al Khobar, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Emphasizing on the role of leaders in Process Safety Management is Niranjan Mathkari, Process Safety Technology Leader at Sadara Chemical Company. Speaking on how TapRoot system can be used for improving process safety and preventing major accidents was Larry Perkinson, Upstream HSE Team Leader at Saudi Aramco. Perkinson discussed about identifying significant issues related to process safety aspects and root causes of major incidents to Taproot human factors.
Accidents in processing areas are either caused due to design or due to management behaviors. Muhammad Ashfaq, Divisional Senior HSS Advisor at Almarai threw light on the main causes of accidents in processing areas. Elaborating on how operational excellence can be achieved by connecting process safety management to day to day operations was David Ross, Business Consultant for Petrotechnics. The session was followed by a case study on process safety practices at Sadaf by Twan A Van veggel, Process Safety Manager at Sadaf.
The attendees present at the venue were made aware of public address/general alarm system to inform the right people at the right time in case of an emergency by Hans Secher, CEO for HSS Engineering. HSS Engineering is the Emergency Management Sponsor for the workshop. A session on building operational excellence in process equipment will be presented by MD Idris Bin Salim, Senior HSE Advisor at Saudi Aramco. Doug Deardorf, Chief Executive Officer for NiSoft UK Ltd, Associate Sponsor for the workshop, will deliver a session later today on contemplating technology solutions to address critical business processes.
The highlight of the day will be a thought provoking panel discussion on how have we moved forward from the disasters. The discussion will be moderated by Andy Bartlett, QHSE Consultant at Petrotechnics and will see participation from industry experts from Sadara Chemical Company, Saudi Aramco and Almarai.
Supported by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health, day two will see two interactive technical workshops on Reactive and Proactive Process Improvement through Root Cause Analysis headed by Brian Locker, TapRooT Consultant – Upstream HSE Team Leader at Saudi Aramco and Changing the Safety-Productivity Dynamic by Connecting Process Safety to the frontline conducted by Petrotechnics.
Networking sponsors Alimak Hek Group, Al Maymanah For Trading Co. Ltd and Intertek will be showcasing their latest products and services at the workshop.