Process safety education framework : lessons from Safety and Chemical Engineering Education (SAChE) faculty workshops

Safety and Chemical Engineering Education (SAChE) program was initiated in 1992 under the auspices of the Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS) of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) and engineering schools (http://www.sache.org). Historically, significant progress made over the last two decades include newsletter publication, dedicated website hosting different learning materials, faculty workshops and student safety certificate programmes. This paper is aimed at developing an implementable framework for upskilling engineering graduates in process safety using SAChE workshop as a case study. The developed educational safety framework referred to as Cognitive-Experiential (CogEx) is based on combined cognitive and experiential learning pedagogies adapted to process safety education. For an emerging economy, CogEx implies initiating industry-university collaboration with a focus on process safety education. This further extends to different activities such as faculty workshops and training, curriculum development for process safety modules, industry experts’ participation in teaching and assessments, and the development of educational materials based on current industry practices. In general, the CogEx framework developed provides a structure for skills transferability and programme implementation outside the USA, where SAChE is domiciled. Learning context such as this becomes necessary for enabling robust safety skills and culture exchange. It also proactively mitigates the shortage in process safety expertise for future expansion of the emerging natural gas industry and the established petroleum industry