Interview with Eduardo de Maio Francisco on Process Safety

The Latin American Conference on Process Safety will be held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on September 11-13, 2018, with a pre-conference course scheduled for September 10, 2018. Co-organized by ARPEL, this conference is part of CCPS's family of Global Congress on Process Safety and is part of CCPS's worldwide effort to prevent major accidents through promoting lifelong learning as well as continual improvement in process safety.

We spoke with conference chair member Eduardo de Maio Francisco about his work as a process safety professional, the changes he's seen in the field, and how process safety will impact industry in the future.

How is your work as a process safety professional critical to your particular job or the industry where you work? What are the most important skills a process safety professional should have?

As a process safety professional, I am in a very critical position in my company. Considering the company's core values and the risk profile, process safety is fundamental to guaranteeing the sustainability of its operations and business. I believe the skills that are fundamental for a process safety professional include a passion for safety, commitment for people's protection, and a technical background.

What message would you like the audience to take away from the conference?

I would like the audience to take away an understanding of new process safety technologies, ideas, and approaches to deal with their own challenges. They can also make new contacts and friends in the Latin American process safety community.

What changes have you seen in process safety in Latin America over the past 10 years?

I have seen advances and improvements in process safety knowledge. Even with the economic and political difficulties faced by Latin American countries, the process safety community has worked to develop and increase performance. I see what has been accomplished as something remarkable.

How do you see process safety impacting industry over the next five years?

In general, I see the growing impact of process safety in industry. Process technologies are becoming more complex each day and, naturally, so are the process safety needs. Important efforts in process safety technology development are critical to repsonding to these changes.

You can still register for the 8th CCPS Latin American Conference on Process Safety taking place September 10-13, 2018 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.