A Chat with Process Safety Legend Louisa A. Nara

Co-authored by John Murphy, Ronald J. Willey, and Arthur Baulch. 

In recognition of process safety excellence, this interview series was created to highlight process safety legends who have had a profound impact on the field of process safety.

Each legend followed a unique career path. All the legends had mentors to assist them in their careers, none had any university training in process safety, and all credited AIChE’s Loss Prevention Symposium and Global Congress on Process Safety (GCPS) for contributing to their success.

AIChE’s Loss Prevention Symposium (LPS) is one of several parallel symposia that are part of the Global Congress on Process Safety (GCPS). LPS focuses on process safety technology, including new developments, cutting-edge solutions, and innovative/novel approaches to hazard identification and risk assessment/management.

In the interview below, process safety legend Louisa A. Nara discusses the path that led to her process safety career, the importance of process safety, the role of mentors, and more.

How and when did you initially become interested in process safety as a career?

My first “exposure” to process safety came when I was nine years old. I lived less than a mile from a site producing chlorinated dry bleach for pool chemicals and other uses.

On June 24, 1968, I was playing in our front yard and heard sirens from across the river. It was a quiet, still evening, and I watched as a plume of greenish-yellow smoke went straight into the air and listened to the plant sirens. Within a short period, I heard a police siren, and two West Virginia State Troopers had driven into our neighborhood. With a megaphone, they called out, “This is an emergency. You must evacuate your homes and leave immediately.” One of the plants had a fire, and we had to leave for our safety. We went 30 miles away and stayed overnight. The following day we were able to go home.

We were not the only ones evacuated. According to the local newspaper archives, approximately 15,000 “near neighbors” evacuated, and over 200 people sought medical treatment. Upon returning, we found our grass bleached, and the trees were partly defoliated, making a lasting impression. This event imprinted the importance of maintaining a good relationship between chemical plants and neighbors. It is a lesson I have carried throughout my career and it has served me well.

Briefly describe the major events in your career in process safety.

The first impactful event in my “career” was the dry bleach fire described above when I was nine. It taught me to open my eyes and ears and maintain situational awareness. This event made me aware of chemical engineering as a line of study.

I started working in Deer Park, Texas, in July 1981 and was full of ideas. I was excited to go to work each day and see what I could contribute. The following two incidents came quickly, and I learned important lessons in always being aware and understanding the impacts of our actions. On November 19, 1984, an explosion occurred at the PEMEX LPG Terminal outside of Mexico City when a gas build-up occurred in the facility, and it found an ignition source. Hundreds died. On December 2–3, 1984, approximately 40 tons of methyl isocyanate was released at a Union Carbide facility in Bhopal, India. An estimated 3,000–3,500 died within the first three days of the release, and over 15,000 long-term from its impacts. This was the worst chemical release in our history. People in the area are still suffering.

In 1988–1989, I had the opportunity to work on the scale-up of two new metal-on-silica catalyst products being toll manufactured. Another engineer and I worked for several years monitoring the batch processes, sampling and testing to ensure we had a workable product. The toll manufacturer we selected was Napp Chemical in Lodi, New Jersey. On April 21, 1995, an explosion occurred at the facility, and five people died. Having worked with one of them pushed me to focus more on preventing these incidents from occurring.

As I moved on throughout my career, many events influenced me and supported my motivation to save lives. The most impactful ones are the ones that touch you personally. Two of these included a bomb scare on October 12, 2001, after the September 11, 2001 events, and an explosion at the site I was responsible for. I felt the impact at my house two miles away.

Why is process safety important?

Process safety focuses on incident prevention and enhancing a process’s overall efficiency and reliability. It is a “disciplined framework for managing the integrity of operating systems and processes handling hazardous substances by applying good design principles, engineering, and operating practices” (CCPS Glossary). Process safety focuses on reducing risks associated with processes handling hazardous materials and energies by reducing the frequency and consequences of potential incidents. These incidents include toxic or flammable material releases (loss events), which result in toxic effects, fires, and/or explosions. The incident impacts include harm to people (injuries, fatalities), property and the environment, production losses, and adverse business publicity.

Did you have any mentors over the course of your career, and what role did they play?

A mentor is a trusted advisor that can help you learn through their experiences and lessons learned. My first true mentor was Lou Martin, PE, HES Director at Bayer Corporation, a man who held many significant safety, technical, and engineering positions at Bayer, but he was foremost a protector of Bayer’s employees, their assets, and their reputation. Lou was like the EF Hutton commercials; when Lou talked, people listened. Lou hired me as an employee and offered assignments to help me grow. I never turned down one of those opportunities, and even though they were difficult at times, these assignments were always worthwhile. Since Lou, there have been many, but another important mentor is John Rocco, Vice President and Plant Manager at the Bayer Material Science Baytown site, where I spent five years. It was the most exciting time of my career. John was a veteran of the Vietnam War and the Gulf War. He retired as a Lt. Col and was a leader with incredible discipline. Both of these mentors were incredibly supportive and taught me by being living examples of what leaders are.

If you have a mentor, thank them. Their support and advice can be invaluable. If you do not have a mentor, find one. Pick someone to help with your aspirations and ask if they can mentor you. If the mentors are in your area of expertise or desire, many will have contacts they can introduce you to expand your network. Most are honored that you asked and will give you their time and experience to answer questions and give advice and feedback. What they will not do is make decisions for you.

The interview continues

Read the responses to several more questions about Louisa’s areas of specialty, her formal chemical engineering education, proudest achievements, and more in the article “The Stories of Four More Process Safety Legends,” which was published in the September 2023 issue (Volume 42, Issue 3) of Process Safety Progress.   

This article is available under the Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-ND license and permits non-commercial use of the work as published, without adaptation or alteration provided the work is fully attributed.