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    • Traci Purdum

    Ollisphoto Traci Purdum1173 300 A8x10blue 63f53c0280421
    Editor-in-Chief
    Phone: 630-454-7077

    Traci Purdum, an award-winning business journalist with extensive experience covering manufacturing and management issues, is a graduate of the Kent State University School of Journalism and Mass Communication, Kent, Ohio, and an alumnus of the Wharton Seminar for Business Journalists, Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.

    Podcast: Lessons Learned From 1994 Texaco Refinery Explosion

    Traci Purdum
    July 23, 2024
    Control system failures, alarm floods, maintenance issues and emergency response factored into this non-deadly incident.

    What Ditching The Chevron Deference Means for the Chemical Industry

    Traci Purdum
    July 19, 2024
    TSCA advocates and adversaries must be relentlessly compelling, fact-based and thorough in advocating for their positions in a Chevron-free world.

    Podcast: Fixing Fixation Problems in the Chemical Industry

    Traci Purdum
    July 12, 2024
    This cognitive bias has operators clinging to beliefs despite contrary evidence.

    Podcast: Corroded Pipe Elbow Sparks Explosion, Launches 38,000-lb Shrapnel

    Traci Purdum
    June 25, 2024
    The U.S. Chemical Safety Board identified five issues with the 2019 Philadelphia Energy Solutions Refinery fire and explosion: mechanical integrity, outdated equipment, lack of...

    Regulatory Burdens, Barbie and Taylor Swift Impact the Chemical Industry

    Traci Purdum
    June 21, 2024
    American Chemistry Council’s Chief Economist discusses the state of the chemical industry and what keeps her up at night.

    Tips To Get Your Motor Running

    Traci Purdum
    June 19, 2024
    Readers ask questions about their motors and our expert responds.

    Podcast: Operator Training Do’s and Don’ts

    Traci Purdum
    June 14, 2024
    On-the-job training seems efficient but there are better ways to train operators.

    EPA Recognizes AkzoNobel’s Green Power

    Traci Purdum
    June 7, 2024
    Paint manufacturer’s green power use is equivalent to the electricity use of more than 6,400 average American homes annually.

    Podcast: Lessons Learned From Flixborough 50 Years Later

    Traci Purdum
    May 31, 2024
    The Flixborough disaster in 1974 resulted in 28 fatalities and significant damage, leading to the introduction of management of change processes, improved asset integrity practices...

    Podcast: Hazardous Lies: Former Safety Investigator Pens Fictional Thriller

    Traci Purdum
    May 14, 2024
    Stephen J. Wallace’s novel is set in an ethylene production facility where an explosion kills workers. Plant management, emboldened by powerful political allies, scramble to hide...

    Podcast: Lessons Learned From the Deadly Formosa Explosion

    Traci Purdum
    April 30, 2024
    The incident at Formosa Plastics in 2004 highlighted critical lessons in process safety. Human factors, communication gaps and inadequate equipment played significant roles in...

    Tips To Navigate ChemicalProcessing.com and See Stars

    Traci Purdum
    April 22, 2024
    Consider me your cruise director for our site. Welcome aboard – we’ve been expecting you.

    Podcast: How To Succeed at Process Safety Management — 10 Rules

    Traci Purdum
    April 16, 2024
    Based on his many years in the chemical industry and his years at the CSB, John Bresland developed a “top 10” list of rules for process safety success.

    Podcast: How Storytelling Improves Operator Performance

    Traci Purdum
    April 12, 2024
    From knowledge capture and transfer to making technical information understandable and engaging, storytelling aids in retaining tacit knowledge and contextual understanding and...

    Podcast: 7 Steps To Better Cybersecurity

    Traci Purdum
    March 19, 2024
    This short list will help your organization get moving on more robust cybersecurity practices.

    Operator Training Podcast: Remove Team Performance Barriers

    Traci Purdum
    March 15, 2024
    Psychological safety is crucial for effective team environments, allowing individuals to speak up and admit uncertainty without fear of reprisal. Tools such as self-assessment...

    Engage Your 2028 Workforce Now

    Traci Purdum
    March 6, 2024
    Finding operators and engineers to continue where Baby Boomers left off is a contest-winning proposition.

    Podcast: Lessons Learned from Boeing’s 737 MAX Crisis

    Traci Purdum
    March 5, 2024
    Boeing was known for its engineering excellence until a focus on profitability took over. Properly documenting management of change and recognizing weak signals could have prevented...

    Clear Up Corrosion Confusion

    Traci Purdum
    Feb. 26, 2024
    Expert answers questions regarding corrosion inhibitors and stainless steel.

    Podcast: How To Manage Upsets and Achieve a Stable Condition

    Traci Purdum
    Feb. 16, 2024
    Upsets are going to happen, so why not plan for it? Learn how.

    Podcast: Master Inherently Safer Design Principles

    Traci Purdum
    Feb. 13, 2024
    Eliminate, substitute or minimize hazards to save lives and the environment.

    Mixing How To: Ribbon Blenders, Tank Baffles and Avoiding Hazards

    Traci Purdum
    Feb. 6, 2024
    Mixing expert answers readers questions.

    Faster Ways To Train Chemical Operators

    Traci Purdum
    Jan. 19, 2024
    Simulators and virtual reality offer objective ways to measure and improve training.

    Accident Anniversaries: Honoring Lives and Learning Lessons

    Traci Purdum
    Jan. 16, 2024
    From the explosion at an LNG plant in Algeria and the Boston molasses spill to Flixborough and the Valdez oil spill, the discussion underscores the ongoing relevance of these ...