New international safety qualification unveiled at Hazards conference

A new professional registration aimed at senior process safety practitioners has been launched at the Hazards XXIII process safety conference this week in Southport, UK.

This follows development of a new standard for professional engineering competence in process safety by IChemE (Institution of Chemical Engineers). The new registration – denoted PEng (Process Safety) – will be administered by the Institution.

The qualification has also earned the support of Judith Hackitt, chair of the Health and Safety Executive of Great Britain who says: “IChemE is taking a firm, leadership position in regard to the competence of process safety professionals. For too long there has been a stark absence of professional recognition for those who competently apply process safety principles professionally”.

“There is a lack of understanding by some, of the vital contributions process safety professionals make to safe design and operation of process plant, and certainly confusion regarding how their competency set differs from those who are rightly better described as practitioners in occupational safety,” adds Hackitt who is also a Chartered Chemical Engineer and deputy president of IChemE.

To be registered PEng (Process Safety) applicants will follow a similar path to those applying for Chartered Engineer status. Competency based peer review, interview and professional references are central to the process. Individuals must have significant professional experience in the field and hold positions of responsibility for process safety. Applicants do not need to be a chemical engineer to register.

Neil Atkinson, IChemE director of qualifications, says that the new registration will unite and give recognition to individuals working in a process safety role regardless of background: “The safety of process plant is paramount and there is a worldwide shortage of professionals who are demonstrably skilled across the process safety field.

“This new registration is intended to provide process safety practitioners and employers with a recognised, respected qualification akin to Chartered Engineer,” says Atkinson.

Helen Fennell, manager for risk, safety and the environment at Petrofac Engineering and Consulting says that the initiative could have a huge impact on industry: “I personally hope that by achieving this qualification, our process safety engineers will be able to gain international recognition as competent practitioners in the field of technical process safety”.

“They will be able to demonstrate to clients and peers that they are competent safety engineers and committed to high standards of professional conduct,” adds Fennell.

Candidates can register their interest in the new registration at www.icheme.org/pengps. First applications will be accepted in 2013.

The launch was made at IChemE's Hazards XXIII process safety conference in Southport, UK where 380 chemical engineers and process safety experts gathered for the four-day event.