James E. Torres, CFSE, is a chemical engineer with 35 years of industry experience and is currently a senior process safety advisor for the W. R. Grace Baton Rouge facility. He leads the process safety management (PSM) and risk management program (RMP), facilitates PHAs and layers of protection analyses (LOPAs), and performs dynamic consequence modeling, safety instrumented function (SIF) design, safety integrity level (SIL) verification, and safety instrumented system (SIS) implementation. He has extensive experience in process design, research and development, pilot scale-up, and commercial plant startup with halogenated organic components, flame retardants, pharmaceuticals, insecticides, and specialty catalysts. He is a Certified Functional Safety Expert (CFSE), a member of the exida Advisory Board, and a senior member of AIChE and ISA. He received BS degrees in chemistry and chemical engineering from Louisiana State Univ.