Safety Consulting Engineers, Inc. (SCE) provides impartial consulting services and guidance to the industry in process safety.

About Us

Every year countless industrial accidents are reported due to faulty organization and/or defective equipment, resulting in casualties and the loss of millions of dollars. Most of these unfortunate events should never had occurred, and that is why Process Safety Specialists at Safety Consulting Engineers, Inc. (SCE) have developed a unique program of industrially motivated environment reform. We believe that the industry will lead the way to better working conditions, by reducing the safety hazards to its personnel and machinery. We know we can do it because we are doing it. Greater net profits inevitably accrue as a natural result of reduced hazards, since safety saves money as well as lives. Indeed, the care taken today may avert the tragedy of tomorrow.

WHO WE ARE

Safety Consulting Engineers, Inc. (SCE) is an independent consulting, testing, research and development firm which has considerable experience in the field of safety hazards audit, analysis, and testing of engineering systems and products failures. SCE has been in the hazards classification for the last 30 years and has conducted numerous inspections, performed extensive process safety audits and specialized safety evaluations of commercial and governmental operations involving chemical, propellant, pyrotechnic and explosives manufacturing in facilities worldwide.

WHAT DO WE DO

Safety Consulting Engineers, Inc. (SCE) provides testing and impartial consulting services and guidance to the industry in process safety:

Hazard Analysis and Risk Assessment
To provide the best possible assistance in achieving maximum safety standards in processing operations, an engineering safety hazard analysis methodology has been established. These methods include Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA), Fault Tree Analysis (FTA) and Hazards and Operability Study (HAZOPS). Tests on energetic solid, vapor and liquid materials are routinely conducted in our Schaumburg, Illinois testing laboratory and at our open-air testing facilities in Forreston, Illinois.

Hazard Prevention
Safety Consulting Engineers performs studies to identify potential hazards and operating problems, and to evaluate consequences of derivations from the intended design of a process throughout an entire facility. All credible deviations that could lead to hazardous configuration of the process are identified and their magnitude assessed and ranked so that corrective action can be formulated. Practical and economical solutions are developed with proven prevention equipment and latest technology (oxidant and/or combustible concentration reduction or suppression, explosion suppression, containment or relief, extinguishing methods).

Safety Training
It is true that a plant operator of today has a lot on his mind. Not only must he maximize performance, output and cost reduction and attend a myriad of related matters, but he must also comply with the latest federal standards regarding environment safety and pollution control. One responsibility, however cannot overshadow the significance of another. Our highest priority is protecting human life by reducing his exposure to safety hazards on the job while maintaining high production levels.

Fire and Explosion Accident Investigation
Fire and Explosion Accidents may be considered as large scale experiments which are usually poorly instrumented and occurred infrequently. However, careful investigation of these accidents yields data which is not available from laboratory scale experiments and information which may be used to prevent other accidents.

These services are supported by extensive, comprehensive laboratory (small scale) and open-air facilities (full scale) chemical testing and analysis. Tests and analysis programs are conducted by a qualified, professional and dedicated engineering staff per DOT (CFR 49) and UN Recommendations and Requirements (Transport of Dangerous Goods) for both government and industrial clients. Our expert engineers have established Process Safety Management programs as required by OSHA, NFPA, NEC and CFR for numerous clients.

WHO ARE WE WORKING FOR

As an independent consulting firm, Safety Consulting Engineers has been commissioned by a diversified clientele including public and private businesses, industrial and commercial institutions, as well as governmental agencies. Most contracts are awarded based on our engineering expertise, our level of commitment, and timely completion of programs we have undertaken in the past.

WHAT IS OUR EXPERTISE

In order to review engineering programs from different perspectives, Safety Consulting Engineers, Inc. employs an expert team of professional and technical personnel of complementary backgrounds (mechanical, chemical, bioengineering, environmental, medical etc.). These specialists bring data into sharper focus and, through their knowledge, experience and skills, develop adequate solutions.

Chemical Process Hazard Analysis
Engineering and System Hazard Analysis
Electrostatics Analysis and Testing
Explosion and Propulsion Analysis and Testing
Propellants & Explosives Formulation, Analysis, Initiation Sensitivity and Performance Output Testing and Analysis
Flammable Dusts, Vapors/Liquids Explosion Hazard Analysis and Testing
Waste Explosives, Propellant, Pyrotechnics, Disposal Remediations & Recovery

BIO'S OF SAFETY CONSULTING ENGINEER'S STAFF

Thaddeus C. Speed, physicist and safety professional, is the Technical Director for Chilworth Technologies’ explosives testing and analysis division, Safety Consulting Engineers, Inc. Mr. Speed has more than 25 years experience in hazards analysis, process and system safety, and in testing, evaluating and characterizing explosives and other energetic materials. He has published numerous papers on electrostatic discharge safety (ESD), explosives testing methods, ignition and initiation phenomena, in-process classification of energetic materials, and similar topics. B.S. Physics and Astronomy (1984); Certified Safety Professional (1994); approved by the DOT to examine explosives and recommend classifications (per 49 CFR 173.56) (1999).

Mr. Speed’s explosives process hazards and characterization expertise is further enhanced by an in-depth understanding of system safety and the inter-related areas of facility siting, regulatory compliance, process safety management, material characterization and incident analysis. He has developed courses and trained government officials, plant managers, other safety professionals and line operators in various aspects of explosives safety, both as general courses and as tailored training for specific issues, companies and operations.

C. James Dahn, Professional Engineer has over 40 years of chemical, mechanical, electrical engineering professional experience in pressure vessel design and safety analysis. He has developed numerous computer programs to analyze combustion, explosion and detonation effects on structures and pressure vessels. Gaseous, dust cloud, liquid and solids combustion, explosion and detonation characteristics computer programs have also been developed by Mr. Dahn. In addition, he has extensive professional experience in conducting engineering hazard and risk analyses on chemical process plants, refineries, pharmaceutical plants, plastics and metals process plants, pyrotechnics, propellant and explosive manufacturing plants which operate at high temperatures and pressures. He has developed gaseous, liquid and solid explosive systems for oil, mining and blasting industries and for the Department of Defense. He has managed programs up to one million dollars in size and of durations up to two years. Many times, he solicited outside support and consulting services to achieve program objectives. Mr. Dahn also has testified as an engineering expert in many legal cases and at public hearings on process and product safety.

Bernadette Reyes (Director, Engineering Safety Hazard Analysis and Testing) as a chemical engineer, has extensive experience in characterizing the combustion, fire, explosion and detonation properties of gases, liquids and solids. She has participated on numerous engineering hazard analyses of chemical process plants, bulk powder plants, propellant, explosive and pyrotechnic manufacturing facilities. She has conducted extensive computer analyses to characterize gaseous and dust cloud combustion, explosion and detonation reactions.

She has provided hazard analysis methodologies (which include FMEA, FTA and HAZOPS) for food and chemical processing plants, propellants, explosives and pyrotechnics facilities. Ms. Reyes has supervised hazard and performance testing on powders, liquids and gases, propellants, explosives and pyrotechnics at Safety Consulting Engineers, Inc., laboratory and open-air testing facility to determine initiation sensitivity and potential hazards.

Abdollah Kashani (Project Engineer) is a biochemical engineer specializing in process energy and energy rate analysis, simulation and testing. He has extensive experience in design and simulation of chemical processes (lab-scale) and has conducted testing and investigations for hazard analysis, including thermal analysis, electrostatic energy hazards and mechanical sensitivity tests.

Jacob Finkelshtein (Project Engineer) is a civil engineer specializing in engineering hazards and initiation sensitivity analysis. He has extensive experience in design and testing use of laboratory equipment and prototype (laboratory scale). He has also conducted testing and investigations for hazard analysis, including dust explosivity, electrostatic energy hazards and mechanical sensitivity. He had performed extensive explosive recoding and analysis using spectrophotometry. His ability to expeditiously analyze and optimize the integrity of the laboratory test implementation and operations greatly enhances overall analysis.

Andrew Kusmierz, Sr. Process Safety Specialist has extensive experience in dealing with hazards involving dust, liquids and vapors. Graduate of Warsaw University of Technology, worked there for 11 years in Combustion Lab of Aerospace Engineering Department. He was involved mainly in studies of various combustion processes: single droplet and spray combustion, shock tube studies for gaseous and hybrid mixtures, gasification of coal particles by detonation wave, large scale dust explosions, explosibility limits, explosion venting studies, as well as computer modeling and simulation.

He experience includes designing and conducting non-standard tests (i.e.: solvent vapor migration, gas evolution, electrostatic charging of liquids in pipe flow or sprays, flammability and fractionation testing specific to refrigerant blends containing flammable components, testing for investigative projects, etc.).

He has investigated numerous flash fire and explosion incidents; safety reviews and audits; consulting on industrial systems or processes that involve solids, vapors and gases. He has conducted hazards assessment on numerous processes; has conducted code compliance studies, and has made safety improvement recommendations.

Safety Consulting Engineers, Inc.

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