CSB: His lifetime of work has saved workers’ lives
The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) is vowing to try and emulate the legacy of Dr. Trevor Kletz, a leading authority on chemical process safety who passed away recently.
Ketz began his career as a research chemist in the United Kingdom, and ultimately originated the concept of inherently safer technology and processes. One of his seminal papers was entitled, “What You Don’t Have Can’t Leak.” His teachings on accident investigations refocused the emphasis from individual lapses to systems failures and safer design. These concepts fostered a revolution in modern safety management thinking.
After retiring in 1982, Dr. Kletz established a second career as an author, speaker and academic. He served in recent years as adjunct professor of the Texas A&M University and Visiting Professor of Chemical Engineering at Loughborough University in the UK.