The Process Safety Boot Camp is the flagship course based on the risk-based process safety (RBPS) management approach from the Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS), featured in the CCPS book Guidelines for Risk Based Process Safety. The Boot Camp covers the fundamental concepts of process safety, why effective process safety management systems are needed, and why process safety is important as an operating principle, not just as a regulatory requirement.
We spoke with Pete Lodal, one of the instructors of the Boot Camp, about how a thorough understanding of process safety can benefit chemical engineers and their careers.
Give us a common scenario for how chemical engineers are able to use Boot Camp to advance their career.
Employers are always looking for potential employees with a wide range of skills. Having the Process Safety Boot Camp on a resume demonstrates a fundamental understanding of key process safety concepts that can be immediately applied on the job across a wide range of tasks. It also provides information on various topics related to process safety that the engineer may not know about. This expands knowledge and increases confidence.
For those who are pursuing a career in process safety, Boot Camp and the Process Safety Fundamentals Certification Program (CCPSf) provide a great start for pursuing a full Process Safety Certification (CCPSC) as their careers progress.
What are some specific areas or concepts that course takers will gain confidence in?
Based on the four foundations and 20 elements of risk-based process safety, students will gain a deeper understanding of the interrelationships amongst elements, with specific case histories illustrating what can happen if execution of a given element is deficient.
Beyond the formal learning, the interface with the Boot Camp instructors is invaluable. All instructors have 30 or more years of direct experience, a wide range of expertise, and firsthand observations of the implementation of the major advances in process safety that have occurred over the past 50+ years. The opportunity to ask questions and get advice on specific topics provides a much richer learning experience.
How can this course help job candidates stand out?
By demonstrating their commitment to continuing education and gaining knowledge of process safety concepts and practices, candidates can distinguish themselves from the competition, as well as potentially qualifying for a wider range of job opportunities due to their expanded process safety knowledge.
Many recent graduates don’t have experience in process safety. How will this help them as they begin their careers?
By necessity, undergraduate education focuses strongly on how to be successful, how to do things right. Boot Camp will expand new graduates’ horizons by demonstrating through theory and case histories how things can go wrong. Being able to envision the ultimate successful goal as well as recognize factors that could derail or prevent the achievement of that goal is an invaluable skill to have throughout a career. The earlier this insight is gained, the better and more effective the recent graduate will be.
Learn more about the Process Safety Boot Camp and register today.
If you are interested in learning more about professional development, networking, and interviewing, be sure to check AIChE Career DiscoveryTM, which is part of the Institute for Learning & Innovation (ILI). See upcoming instances of the Career Discovery Workshop on AIChE Academy and read more about the process here.
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