Process Safety Boot Camp

Adrian Sepeda has a broad, 33-year background in the chemical industry. After managing process safety, risk management and accident investigations for Occidental Chemical Corporation’s worldwide operations, he started his own process safety and risk management consulting firm. He has national and international clients that include large corporations as well as small businesses.

Brian Kelly has 35 years of engineering and operations experience and is a consultant with AIChE’s Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS). He has conducted numerous process safety audits and incident investigations and presented process safety workshops in North America, Europe and Asia. He previously was with Imperial Oil and Syncrude Canada Ltd.  

Dennis C. Hendershot is a chemical engineer with 40 years of experience in process research and development, plant design and startup, and process safety. From 1970 until his retirement in 2005 as a Senior Technical Fellow, he worked at Rohm and Haas Company. He then joined Chilworth Technology Inc. as a Principal Process Safety Specialist (retiring again in 2009), and the Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS) of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers as a Staff Consultant.

Don Abrahamson has over 40 years of experience in operations and engineering roles to draw from process safety management, operations management, process safety engineering, technical management, quality assurance management, process development and research. He recently retired from Celanese as the Global Process Safety Manager. He also worked for Occidental Chemical for over 32 years. He has conducted PHAs, Audits, Incident Investigations and /or Training on three continents: Americas, Europe and Asia. He has four US Patents from his work in research and development.

Jim Conner joined CCPS as a Staff Consultant in 2011. He has 35 years of experience in chemical process engineering, chemical manufacturing operations, and R&D across operations in Asia, Europe, Middle East, and North America. Most recently Jim held the position of Sr. Vice President, Operations for Enerkem, and a solid waste-to-chemicals startup venture. Prior to Enerkem, he served as Vice President, Operations and Technology for Celanese, with responsibility for domestic and international operations and R&D facilities.

Jerry Jones, PE joined CCPS as a staff consultant in 2012. He has >40 years of experience across industry sectors including chemicals, polymers, pharmaceuticals, and electronics industry materials. He has worked in process development and engineering, plant design, EHS, and process safety functions and supported manufacturing operations in over a dozen countries while an employee of Monsanto, SRI International, Raychem, and Genentech/Roche. He has extensive experience with the implementation of risk-based management systems including those for process safety.

John Herber joined CCPS in 2009 after a 33-year career with 3M Company that included positions in process and project engineering, production operations and corporate safety. In Corporate Safety Services, John developed programs for improving PSM systems across 3M’s global operations, including PSM metrics, Process Hazard Management policy and implementation guidance. As PSM consultant, John has performed audits, facilitated PHAs and assisted with PSM program development and training. John has a BS in Chemical Engineering from Purdue.

John Murphy has more than 40 years of experience in chemical manufacturing and process safety with jobs in the chemical industry, consulting and government. He has retired from the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board where he served as lead investigator. John also retired from Dow Chemical Company where he was a leader in process safety. He has a BS in Chemical Engineering from Tufts University and an MBA from Central Michigan University.

Robert W. Ormsby, PE, joined CCPS Staff in 2003 after spending more than 27 years with Air Products and Chemicals, Inc in process safety related functions. During that time, Bob managed the Corporate Process Safety Group; conducted major incident investigations; developed corporate process safety standards and guidelines; developed and taught process training courses; and, conducted major hazard studies worldwide. During six years of those years, he served as Manager of Safety for the Chemicals Group and developed both operating group safety policies and standards and conducted audits.