Andy

My whole career after completing my PhD has been as a Process Safety Consultant.

At the beginning of my career I worked for a small, specialist company for 6 years. I then moved to a larger, more general engineering consultancy for 3 years. I have now been self-employed for 15 years.

Some of the key projects I have worked on include the new oil refineries in the Middle East, writing guidance for regulators and industry bodies, creating emergency response plans for multi-national companies, and creating culture change at old, established sites.

I work with a range of other people such as process operators, plant managers, and safety advisors.

Before Covid, I would be visiting sites 2-3 times a week. This has now been replaced with MS Teams calls. When I am not visiting sites or in meetings, I am writing reports and proposals.

I was inspired to pursue a career in engineering because of the opportunity to work with a mix of science and practice.

I enjoy the variety and dealing with issues that few other people have skills to handle.

The following academic knowledge and skills are important in my role:

Here are some of my predictions for the future:

• Energy sources will be far more diverse.
• More emphasis on reducing consumption of energy, chemicals etc.
• More use of waste.