Details
June 5, 2025
10:15AM - 11:15AM
Critical Thinking Training: Bridging the Gap Between Theory & Practice
Wesley Sasser, ExxonMobil
Room: Galleon III
After examining various incidents locally and across industry, a common theme began to emerge. There was a noticeable gap between theoretical knowledge of process safety fundamentals and their practical application. This gap was largely due to a lack of hands-on experience, caused by natural staff attrition as well as a lecture-based training approach. As a result, the workforce understood process safety theory, but lacked the practical skills to identify hazards and implement mitigations in real-time. This led to a reliance on tools and work processes, reducing the need for critical thinking and holistic problem-solving where the workforce could effectively answer the ultimate question: How do I know it is okay? Additionally, there was a tendency to depend on a few experts rather than cultivate practical process safety knowledge across all team members. This resulted in a tenuous, unsustainable process safety management structure and highlighted a clear case for action. This presentation will explore a novel, interactive training approach that has been used to successfully develop a practical process safety skill set by focusing on the difference between lecturing and learning.
