Teaching process safety in the twenty-first century

Abstract

Knowledge and competence related to process safety is relevant for a broad range of systems in industry and society where loss of containment of hazardous materials, fires, and explosions represent a hazard to people, property, and the environment. Process safety is an interdisciplinary subject, as well as an applied discipline that evolves with the development of industry and society, and it may not be straightforward to decide which topics to include in a curriculum on process safety, what level of detail to cover, and how courses and teaching should be organised to maximise learning outcomes and relevance for future employment. This paper summarises results from a survey targeting practitioners of process safety, from academia and various branches of the labour market. The main objective of the study was to explore global trends, practices, and priorities related to process safety, with a view to promote sharing of knowledge and best practices between stakeholders. Overall, the responses from academia and the labour market are reasonably aligned. The results reflect the global efforts to replace fossil fuels with renewable energy sources in conjunction with energy carriers such as hydrogen, ammonia, and batteries.