Twenty years ago, a group of representatives from member companies of the Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS) met and identified the need for a new process safety tool. The outcome was the CCPS Process Safety Beacon, a tool meant for frontline employees — mainly operations and maintenance personnel. The Beacon provides a process safety message for frontline employees that can be shared, posted on bulletin boards, and used in toolbox meetings and safety moments to remind employees of process safety topics.
The first edition in November 2001 was a text document, and while the format has changed, the committee has continued to publish it monthly. It is now emailed to over 30,000 subscribers, and the readership has grown from a few hundred to an estimated one million. You can access more than 200 Beacons that have been published since its inception through the Process Safety Beacon archive at www.aiche.org/ccps/resources/process-safety-beacon/archives.
▲ The Process Safety Beacon has been sharing monthly process safety messages for 20 years.
Did You Know?
- The Process Safety Beacon is the most-read AIChE publication. An estimated one million people around the world read the Beacon.
- The Beacon is written monthly by a committee that rigorously reviews the material to ensure it is accurate and useful to the readers. This committee deserves a big thank you for their efforts over the past 20 years.
- The Beacon is now available in 40 languages thanks to many dedicated translators who take the time to accurately translate the material.
- The Beacon is free to all. To subscribe, follow this link https://aiche.informz.net/AICHE/pages/Beacon_Subscribe_Page
- Copying and sharing the Beacon is not only allowed, it is encouraged.
- While the incident description in each Beacon focuses on a few contributing causes, often many other issues contributed to the event.
What Can You Do?
- Discuss the Beacon with your team and look for the key idea(s) that could apply to your operations.
- Read the Beacon and ask yourself some questions, such as: Could an event like this occur in my area? What safety systems do we have to prevent such an incident? Are the safeguards kept in good condition?
- Keep reading and sharing the Beacon.
- If you have an idea for a Beacon topic, please send it to ccps_beacon@aiche.org.
The Beacon — sharing process safety lessons for 20 years!
©AIChE 2021. All rights reserved. Reproduction for non-commercial, educational purposes is encouraged. However, reproduction for any commercial purpose without express written consent of AIChE is strictly prohibited. Contact us at ccps_beacon@aiche.org or 646-495-1371.
Copyright Permissions
Would you like to reuse content from CEP Magazine? It’s easy to request permission to reuse content. Simply click here to connect instantly to licensing services, where you can choose from a list of options regarding how you would like to reuse the desired content and complete the transaction.