Process Safety with Trish & Traci

Hosted by chemicalprocessingsafety

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Episodes

128

Latest episode

Aug 2026

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About the show

The Process Safety with Trish & Traci podcast shares insights from recent process-safety incidents to avoid accidents at chemical processing plants.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

August 25, 2026Episode 12940 min

Piper Alpha Disaster: The Jenga Tower That Was Always Going to Fall

On this episode of Processing Safety with Trish and Traci, forensic engineer Dr. Sean Brady joins Trish Kerin and Traci Purdum to revisit Piper Alpha, the 1988 North Sea platform disaster that killed 167 workers. They trace how a lost permit-to-work, a missing relief valve, and a design never updated for gas service combined with failed firewalls, redundant systems that bred false confidence and risers that kept feeding the fire. Using the "Jenga tower" metaphor, Brady explains how safety systems degrade unnoticed until they collapse, and why organizations must dispense with likelihood and focus on consequence, controls, and leadership culture to prevent the next catastrophe.

August 11, 2026Episode 1288 min

Disaster Planning in Process Plants: Best Offense is a Passive Defense

Smart design and layout choices, made well before a crisis hits, can protect plants from cyberattacks, sabotage and extreme weather without a major capital investment. This is based on an article from Amin Almasi, " Disaster Planning in Process Plants: Best Offense is a Passive Defense ," Chemical Processing, July 20, 2026

July 28, 2026Episode 1275 min

Four Alarms in Three Weeks: A Safety Professional's Hotel Wake-Up Call

From an 3 a.m. evacuation drill to a real fire alarm in Toronto, repeated emergencies reveal how — and how poorly — we prepare when we're away from home. Hear why Trish could be the Jessica Fletcher of the process safety world.

July 14, 2026Episode 12643 min

Who's Taking Care of the Safety Pro?

On this episode of Processing Safety with Trish and Traci, General Atomics safety engineer Valerie Stakes returns to discuss well-being in the safety profession, building on her 2026 ASSP conference session. She, Trish Kerin and Traci Purdum explore why safety professionals — often wired to please and fix — struggle to set boundaries and how compassion fatigue, unappreciated efforts and repeated exposure to injuries and fatalities take a cumulative toll. They share personal stories of burnout, offer tips on debriefing, networking and using employee assistance programs and close with a guided breathing exercise. The episode also answers a listener’s question on the role of training in operations and emergency response.

June 30, 2026Episode 1256 min

When Alarms Stop Warning and Start Failing

Decades of guidance on alarm management exist. So why are control rooms still drowning in noise?

June 16, 2026Episode 12425 min

GKN Aerospace Incident Offers Lessons in Reactive Hazard Management

Trish Kerin breaks down the runaway reaction that triggered a mass evacuation in Orange County, California, and explains what facilities handling reactive chemicals can learn about instrumentation, warning signs and emergency communication. Editor's Note: We mention an upcoming webinar that Trish will be hosting: a webinar focused on leadership in uncertain times — looking at key strategies and tools we can use to navigate some of the challenges we're all facing globally right now. Use the code CPREADER for $5 off.

May 26, 2026Episode 1235 min

Process Safety: Meet Me Under the Clocks

The analog timepieces at Melbourne's Flinders Street Station offer a timeless lesson: sometimes the simplest solution is the most elegant — and the most reliable.

May 12, 2026Episode 12223 min

11 Fires, 60 Days: What's Really Behind the 2026 Refinery Crisis

Eleven refinery and fuel facility fires across four continents in roughly 60 days — that's the alarming backdrop for this episode of Process Safety with Trish and Traci. Process safety expert Trish Kerin examines whether the 2026 incidents are a statistical anomaly or a symptom of deeper systemic pressure. She points to deferred maintenance, narrowing margins and the normalization of risk during periods of production stress as key contributing factors. Kerin also addresses the unique vulnerabilities of new facilities and aging infrastructure. Her bottom line: know your controls, check that they're working and talk to your people. Stick around for the bonus material at the end.

April 21, 2026Episode 12128 min

Leading Safely in a VUCA World

When economic pressures mount, safety vigilance can quietly erode — and that's when incidents happen. In this episode, process safety expert Trish Kerin introduces APTBED, a practical decision-making framework for navigating volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous times. The acronym covers six critical areas: Authority (know who's in charge), Psychological Safety (create space for honest information), Tacit and Explicit Knowledge (bring all knowledge into the room), Biases (recognize and manage cognitive blind spots), Expectations (manage them or people will fill the void), and Document Decisions (if it's not written down, it never happened). Good decisions and strong safety culture aren't mutually exclusive — even in a crisis.

April 7, 2026Episode 1203 min