LyondellBasell Hosts Global Faculty Workshop on Process Safety

As part of a larger effort to better prepare undergraduate chemical engineering students for entry into industry, LyondellBasell recently hosted a workshop on process safety for faculty members in Houston.

Professors from around the world attend

More than 30 engineering professors from 16 colleges and universities, including seven Middle Eastern universities, attended. The goal of the workshop was to help professors better understand how process safety is put into practice in an industrial setting, and to illustrate the importance of process safety in both the design and operation of chemical and refining plants. 

Some of the topics covered in the workshop included loss prevention strategy, hazard identification methods and risk assessment, dispersion and consequence modeling, inherently safe design, and evaluating the availability of safeguards. 

Participants in the workshop took part in a site tour of the LyondellBasell Channelview plant.

Greater process safety awareness for future chemical engineers

The workshop was just one part of the AIChE Foundation's Undergraduate Process Safety Learning Initiative, which is a multi-pronged effort that will define how the next generation of chemical engineers are prepared to enter the workforce.

The initiative is a global effort and core priority of the AIChE Foundation’s Doing a World of Good campaign, which focuses on bringing chemical engineering expertise to bear for the good of society. LyondellBasell plays an important role in this work and is part of the campaign’s Founders’ Circle. In particular, LyondellBasell has made a major commitment to the process safety learning initiative, donating $750,000 last year to the Foundation to support the Undergraduate Process Safety Learning Initiative.

You can see more photos from the workshop here