Richard Pickup

Manager, Chemical Process Evaluation

Chilworth Technology, Inc.

Monmouth Junction, NJ

Bad Things Can Still Happen to Good Companies : An investigative report of a dust explosion

In recent years, the general level of awareness of dust explosion hazards within the process industries has greatly improved. In light of this, many companies have incorporated recognized techniques to prevent or mitigate the damaging affects of dust explosions into their designs and procedures. However, an investigation of an incident at an agrochemical formulation facility demonstrates, unfortunately that "bad things can still happen to good companies".

Mr. Pickup is Manager of Chemical Process Evaluation with Chilworth Technology, Inc. an international company that provides process safety testing and consultancy services to the process industries. In his career to date he has accumulated over ten years of practical safety, process engineering design and project management experience in industries as varied as oil and gas production and processing, chemicals, polymers, pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals and metals. His areas of expertise include fire and explosion hazard assessment, fire and explosion prevention and protection, gas and vapor flammability hazards, dust explosion hazards, thermal stability hazards, design and specification of emergency relief systems, process safety management (PSM/HAZOP/HAZAN) and process reliability analysis. Mr. Pickup is a chartered chemical engineer and an active member of a number of professional institutions. Mr. Pickup is a member of the AIChE, a chartered chemical engineer (IChemE) and an active member of a number of other professional institutions.