Process Safety: Knowledge Is Power – Or Is It?

Oct. 7, 2024

What’s more powerful than knowledge? The world's leading safety centers are banding together to answer just that.

"Knowledge is power" — a phrase commonly attributed to Francis Bacon's 1597 work Meditationes Sacrae — has endured for centuries, echoed by influential figures like Thomas Jefferson. However, this adage, while impactful, may only scratch the surface of a deeper truth.

When it comes to process safety, we need people to understand a range of aspects, from the basis of design to the operating philosophy. In other words, we need them to have knowledge. Over the years, I believe the idea that knowledge is power has been misused, where people think that if they have knowledge, they are somehow more powerful than those who don’t. While undoubtably, knowledge is power, I believe knowledge shared is more powerful.

Effective knowledge sharing is crucial for safety, yet it remains a significant challenge. We must ensure everyone understands their specific responsibilities. Additionally, we need to guard against the 'curse of knowledge' — our tendency to assume others possess the same information we do. To mitigate this, we should proactively share information, eliminating assumptions that could lead to dangerous misunderstandings.

So, how do we improve our ability to realize the power of shared knowledge? In process safety, we need to share our lessons from incidents and our experiences. This can be done through formal presentations and informal interactions.

Key Takeaways

Knowledge Sharing Enhances Safety: In process safety, shared knowledge is more powerful than individual knowledge. Proactively sharing lessons from past incidents prevents dangerous assumptions and misunderstandings.
International Process Safety Week (IPSW): Set for December 2024, this week-long, global event aims to enhance process safety awareness through free, accessible presentations across time zones.
Historical Context: The event coincides with significant process safety anniversaries, honoring the Bhopal disaster while focusing on shaping a safer future.

In December 2024, a collaborative effort among the world's leading safety centers will exemplify this approach. The International Process Safety Week (IPSW) — a joint initiative by the IChemE Safety Centre, Center for Chemical Process Safety, European Process Safety Centre, Mary Kay O'Connor Process Safety Center, and Fire and Blast Information Group — will offer a free, week-long online program.

This global event will feature diverse presentations across all time zones, ensuring accessibility for anyone interested in expanding their process safety knowledge.

When we set about organizing this event, we decided to look to the future of process safety while honoring the past. The inaugural event is set for December 2-6, 2024, establishing an annual tradition each December thereafter.

We deliberately chose early December to honor the profound impact of the Bhopal tragedy on process safety. However, IPSW's focus extends beyond this event, aiming to shape a safer future for the entire field.

The timing of the first IPSW in 2024 is particularly significant, as it coincides with several pivotal anniversaries in process safety history:

50 years since the Flixborough disaster
40 years since both the Bhopal tragedy and the Mexico City BLEVE
35 years since the Pasadena, Texas, explosion

These landmark anniversaries provide a compelling backdrop for launching this initiative, underlining the importance of learning from our past while innovating for a safer future.

To ensure global accessibility, each presentation will be streamed multiple times, accommodating various time zones worldwide.

Each organizing center has curated eight hours of content featuring a wide array of presentations and topics. This approach guarantees a rich and varied learning experience for all participants.

To maximize flexibility, all IPSW content will be accessible on the platform for a full year after the event. This long-term availability enables participants to review presentations on their own schedule, optimizing their learning experience and knowledge retention.

The sole intention of IPSW is to raise awareness of process safety and share knowledge openly and freely.

How can you get involved? First, register to attend the session. Then, get a group of colleagues together to watch the key presentations of interest. Next, make sure you set aside some time for an internal discussion to reflect on what you have taken from the presentations. Lastly, share the experience you have had with others and encourage them to watch the sessions in the future and discuss them.

So, while we say knowledge is power, I encourage you to subscribe to the idea that shared knowledge is more powerful. It is time to share your knowledge with others.

Join us during International Process Safety Week. To register, visit https://ipsw24.vfairs.com/

About the Author

Trish Kerin, Stay Safe columnist | Director, IChemE Safety Centre

Trish Kerin is an award-winning international expert and keynote speaker in process safety and the inaugural director of the IChemE Safety Centre. Trish leverages her years of engineering and varied leadership experience to help organizations improve their process safety outcomes.

She has represented industry to many government bodies and has sat on the board of the Australian National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority. She is a Chartered Engineer, registered Professional Process Safety Engineer, Fellow of IChemE and Engineers Australia. Trish also holds a diploma in OHS, a master of leadership and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Her recent book "The Platypus Philosophy" helps operators identify weak signals.

Her expertise has been recognized with the John A Brodie Medal (2015), the Trevor Kletz Merit Award (2018), Women in Safety Network’s Inaugural Leader of the Year (2022) and has been named a Superstar of STEM for 2023-2024 by Science and Technology Australia.