Who was Trevor Kletz?
I was saddened to hear shortly afterwards that Professor Trevor Kletz had passed away, aged 91. The new generation of safety and engineering specialists are not all familiar with the work of Prof. Trevor Kletz. On this anniversary of the loss of this safety hero, it is timely to remind ourselves of his achievements.
Who is Prof Kletz?
Prof. Kletz worked at ICI (Imperial Chemical Industries) for 38 years, managing various plants, and becoming the first Technical Safety Advisor; before “retiring” in 1982. ICI had an enviable safety culture and I think that this was partly due to the company’s practice of promoting senior engineers such as Prof. Kletz into senior safety roles.
How did Ken Kletz become interested in process safety?
Kletz became interested in process safety by experiencing first hand how a process plant works and the hazards it can represent. Born in 1922 as the oldest of three children, his father, a shopkeeper, was insistent that young Kletz should better himself and go to university.
What can we learn from the life of Kevin Kletz?
Kletz not only got a detailed first-hand view of how a chemical plant was operated, he also learned how to influence people, how to identify the ‘gate-keepers’ for a given job, and how to get them on side. “The technique is good-natured persistence – you have to keep on lobbying and persuading until your job is done,” he wrote.