A black-and-white portrait of a middle-aged man with thinning hair and a warm smile, dressed in a suit and patterned tie. The close-up, formal pose highlights his friendly expression and conveys a sense of professionalism and experience, giving the image a classic, respectful tone.
A black-and-white portrait of a middle-aged man with thinning hair and a warm smile, dressed in a suit and patterned tie. The close-up, formal pose highlights his friendly expression and conveys a sense of professionalism and experience, giving the image a classic, respectful tone.

Trevor Kletz

Historical

Historical

Oct 23, 1922

-

Oct 31, 2013

A black-and-white portrait of a middle-aged man with thinning hair and a warm smile, dressed in a suit and patterned tie. The close-up, formal pose highlights his friendly expression and conveys a sense of professionalism and experience, giving the image a classic, respectful tone.

Trevor Kletz

Historical

Historical

Oct 23, 1922

-

Oct 31, 2013

Biography

FAQ

Quotes

Biography

Trevor Kletz was a chemical engineer from Great Britain who contributed immensely as a pioneer to the process safety discipline and how the industry avoids accidents. Kletz, born in 1922, was born in Darlington, England, to Russian-Jewish parents. Kletz began university studying chemistry at the University of Liverpool, graduating in 1944. He went to work for Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI), where he served for nearly forty years.

Kletz began his career at the company as a research chemist before switching to chemical engineering and rising to oversee several chemical processing facilities. However, his enduring legacy would be in the field of safety engineering and, more significantly, in creating a safety culture at ICI and championing ideas that transformed process safety internationally.

In 1968, Kletz joined ICI and became the company’s first technical safety advisor. Here, he started preaching the need for a systematic approach to safety, which he supported on lessons learned from past accidents and management systems. He also contributed to the formation of Hazard and Operability Studies (HAZOP) and is regarded as the founder of the ‘inherent safety’ approach, which states that processes should be constructed so that risks are minimized or controlled instead of barriers used to mitigate risks.

Kletz retired from this post in 1982 and then embarked on a new career as an author and lecturer, specializing in process safety. Two of his books are What Went Wrong? and Learning from Accidents, both regarded as classics in the field. He succumbed to death in 2013, but his work still impacts the chemical engineering profession.

Quotes

"What you don’t have, can’t leak."

"If you think safety is expensive, try an accident."

"There are no new accidents; only lessons we have failed to learn."

"Inherent safety is the best form of safety."

"Human error is an excuse, not a cause."

"The best way to prevent accidents is to design them out."

"It’s not enough to follow safety rules; you must understand why they exist."

"The difference between a minor incident and a major disaster is luck."

"Every accident is an opportunity to learn."

"It’s not enough to be safe—processes must be designed to be safe from the start."

"Engineering should always seek simplicity, not complexity."

"Accidents don’t just happen; they are caused by failures in management."

"Prevention is always better than a cure."

"Design out the hazards, don’t add more safety measures."

"Safety is about understanding the risk, not just avoiding it."

FAQ

What is Trevor Kletz famous for?

Trevor Kletz is most famous for his work in chemical process safety and the idea of inherent safety.

What is inherent safety?

Inherent safety is the concept of designing processes for industries so that risks can be controlled or eliminated at their root instead of using protective barriers.

What is HAZOP?

Kletz contributed to popularizing HAZOP, also known as Hazard and Operability Studies, a systematic approach to analyzing possible hazards and operational problems in industrial processes.

What happened at ICI due to Kletz’s involvement?

About ICI, Kletz came in as its first technical safety advisor, performed systematic safety reviews, and encouraged the use of past accidents in the study of safety and the promotion of management procedures that enhanced safety.

Why did Kletz give so much attention to accident prevention?

Kletz was convinced that most industrial mishaps are avoidable and that more effective design and control could significantly reduce hazards before they become disastrous.

What did Kletz do for the accident investigations?

Kletz also softened the role of humans in creating accidents. He noted that labeling the causes of an accident as human error meant that people were merely scapegoats for other fundamental causes, such as design and management deficiencies.

What did Kletz think about human error?

Kletz also softened the role of humans in creating accidents. He noted that labeling the causes of an accident as human error meant that people were merely scapegoats for other fundamental causes, such as design and management deficiencies.

What awards did Kletz get for his work?

Yes, Kletz received many awards, including an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for industrial safety.

Of all the books Kletz has written, which one is his most popular?

His most famous work is What Went Wrong? A collection of case histories of industrial disasters and how they occurred.

Biography

FAQ

Quotes

Biography

Trevor Kletz was a chemical engineer from Great Britain who contributed immensely as a pioneer to the process safety discipline and how the industry avoids accidents. Kletz, born in 1922, was born in Darlington, England, to Russian-Jewish parents. Kletz began university studying chemistry at the University of Liverpool, graduating in 1944. He went to work for Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI), where he served for nearly forty years.

Kletz began his career at the company as a research chemist before switching to chemical engineering and rising to oversee several chemical processing facilities. However, his enduring legacy would be in the field of safety engineering and, more significantly, in creating a safety culture at ICI and championing ideas that transformed process safety internationally.

In 1968, Kletz joined ICI and became the company’s first technical safety advisor. Here, he started preaching the need for a systematic approach to safety, which he supported on lessons learned from past accidents and management systems. He also contributed to the formation of Hazard and Operability Studies (HAZOP) and is regarded as the founder of the ‘inherent safety’ approach, which states that processes should be constructed so that risks are minimized or controlled instead of barriers used to mitigate risks.

Kletz retired from this post in 1982 and then embarked on a new career as an author and lecturer, specializing in process safety. Two of his books are What Went Wrong? and Learning from Accidents, both regarded as classics in the field. He succumbed to death in 2013, but his work still impacts the chemical engineering profession.

Quotes

"What you don’t have, can’t leak."

"If you think safety is expensive, try an accident."

"There are no new accidents; only lessons we have failed to learn."

"Inherent safety is the best form of safety."

"Human error is an excuse, not a cause."

"The best way to prevent accidents is to design them out."

"It’s not enough to follow safety rules; you must understand why they exist."

"The difference between a minor incident and a major disaster is luck."

"Every accident is an opportunity to learn."

"It’s not enough to be safe—processes must be designed to be safe from the start."

"Engineering should always seek simplicity, not complexity."

"Accidents don’t just happen; they are caused by failures in management."

"Prevention is always better than a cure."

"Design out the hazards, don’t add more safety measures."

"Safety is about understanding the risk, not just avoiding it."

FAQ

What is Trevor Kletz famous for?

Trevor Kletz is most famous for his work in chemical process safety and the idea of inherent safety.

What is inherent safety?

Inherent safety is the concept of designing processes for industries so that risks can be controlled or eliminated at their root instead of using protective barriers.

What is HAZOP?

Kletz contributed to popularizing HAZOP, also known as Hazard and Operability Studies, a systematic approach to analyzing possible hazards and operational problems in industrial processes.

What happened at ICI due to Kletz’s involvement?

About ICI, Kletz came in as its first technical safety advisor, performed systematic safety reviews, and encouraged the use of past accidents in the study of safety and the promotion of management procedures that enhanced safety.

Why did Kletz give so much attention to accident prevention?

Kletz was convinced that most industrial mishaps are avoidable and that more effective design and control could significantly reduce hazards before they become disastrous.

What did Kletz do for the accident investigations?

Kletz also softened the role of humans in creating accidents. He noted that labeling the causes of an accident as human error meant that people were merely scapegoats for other fundamental causes, such as design and management deficiencies.

What did Kletz think about human error?

Kletz also softened the role of humans in creating accidents. He noted that labeling the causes of an accident as human error meant that people were merely scapegoats for other fundamental causes, such as design and management deficiencies.

What awards did Kletz get for his work?

Yes, Kletz received many awards, including an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for industrial safety.

Of all the books Kletz has written, which one is his most popular?

His most famous work is What Went Wrong? A collection of case histories of industrial disasters and how they occurred.

Biography

FAQ

Quotes

Biography

Trevor Kletz was a chemical engineer from Great Britain who contributed immensely as a pioneer to the process safety discipline and how the industry avoids accidents. Kletz, born in 1922, was born in Darlington, England, to Russian-Jewish parents. Kletz began university studying chemistry at the University of Liverpool, graduating in 1944. He went to work for Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI), where he served for nearly forty years.

Kletz began his career at the company as a research chemist before switching to chemical engineering and rising to oversee several chemical processing facilities. However, his enduring legacy would be in the field of safety engineering and, more significantly, in creating a safety culture at ICI and championing ideas that transformed process safety internationally.

In 1968, Kletz joined ICI and became the company’s first technical safety advisor. Here, he started preaching the need for a systematic approach to safety, which he supported on lessons learned from past accidents and management systems. He also contributed to the formation of Hazard and Operability Studies (HAZOP) and is regarded as the founder of the ‘inherent safety’ approach, which states that processes should be constructed so that risks are minimized or controlled instead of barriers used to mitigate risks.

Kletz retired from this post in 1982 and then embarked on a new career as an author and lecturer, specializing in process safety. Two of his books are What Went Wrong? and Learning from Accidents, both regarded as classics in the field. He succumbed to death in 2013, but his work still impacts the chemical engineering profession.

Quotes

"What you don’t have, can’t leak."

"If you think safety is expensive, try an accident."

"There are no new accidents; only lessons we have failed to learn."

"Inherent safety is the best form of safety."

"Human error is an excuse, not a cause."

"The best way to prevent accidents is to design them out."

"It’s not enough to follow safety rules; you must understand why they exist."

"The difference between a minor incident and a major disaster is luck."

"Every accident is an opportunity to learn."

"It’s not enough to be safe—processes must be designed to be safe from the start."

"Engineering should always seek simplicity, not complexity."

"Accidents don’t just happen; they are caused by failures in management."

"Prevention is always better than a cure."

"Design out the hazards, don’t add more safety measures."

"Safety is about understanding the risk, not just avoiding it."

FAQ

What is Trevor Kletz famous for?

Trevor Kletz is most famous for his work in chemical process safety and the idea of inherent safety.

What is inherent safety?

Inherent safety is the concept of designing processes for industries so that risks can be controlled or eliminated at their root instead of using protective barriers.

What is HAZOP?

Kletz contributed to popularizing HAZOP, also known as Hazard and Operability Studies, a systematic approach to analyzing possible hazards and operational problems in industrial processes.

What happened at ICI due to Kletz’s involvement?

About ICI, Kletz came in as its first technical safety advisor, performed systematic safety reviews, and encouraged the use of past accidents in the study of safety and the promotion of management procedures that enhanced safety.

Why did Kletz give so much attention to accident prevention?

Kletz was convinced that most industrial mishaps are avoidable and that more effective design and control could significantly reduce hazards before they become disastrous.

What did Kletz do for the accident investigations?

Kletz also softened the role of humans in creating accidents. He noted that labeling the causes of an accident as human error meant that people were merely scapegoats for other fundamental causes, such as design and management deficiencies.

What did Kletz think about human error?

Kletz also softened the role of humans in creating accidents. He noted that labeling the causes of an accident as human error meant that people were merely scapegoats for other fundamental causes, such as design and management deficiencies.

What awards did Kletz get for his work?

Yes, Kletz received many awards, including an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for industrial safety.

Of all the books Kletz has written, which one is his most popular?

His most famous work is What Went Wrong? A collection of case histories of industrial disasters and how they occurred.

Life and achievements

Early life

Trevor Kletz was born to Russian Jewish immigrants on October 23, 1922, in Darlington, England. Since childhood, Kletz wanted to study chemistry; this desire was further encouraged when his uncle bought him a chemistry set at the tender age of eleven.

As a young boy, he had always been interested in science; this saw him join the University of Liverpool to study chemistry, and he graduated in 1944. He chose to work at ICI, one of the biggest chemical companies globally; he first worked as a research chemist. Even though Kletz never went through a chemical engineering education, he gradually found himself solving engineering problems at ICI, which slowly led him to process engineering, the field where he would make most of his impacts.

Early in his career, Kletz got practical experience operating several chemical plants, such as iso-octane, acetone, and tar acids. Such experiences gave him a sense of the difficulties and risks involved in chemical manufacturing.

This approach to complex problem-solving resulted from close interaction with plant operators, where Kletz learned how to apply safety, efficiency, and good communication to solving plant problems. In the formative years, he provided the foundation for his subsequent pioneering work in process safety, especially his approach to avoiding accidents through design.

Legacy

Trevor Kletz is now known as the father of inherent safety, a concept that forms the basis of industrial safety. His conviction that the level of safety in plants depends on the number of hazards introduced a new idea regarding safety among chemical engineers. Unlike most of his contemporaries who recommended superimposing multiple layers of safety measures on existing designs, Kletz encouraged practitioners to redesign processes to reduce or remove hazards from the processes in the first place.

This approach, now called inherent safety, has been embraced by various industries worldwide and is one of the most essential principles of safety management today.

The field of chemical engineering benefitted from Kletz’s work, but his ideas also touched on other areas, such as industrial safety, risk management, and safety culture. He has contributed through his work on HAZOP, a method used to assess the dangers inherent in processes.

His advocacy on using accidents to learn instead of explaining them as due to human error has also transformed how organizations investigate and act on mishaps. Kletz’s books and lectures have taught generations of engineers and safety professionals, and his ideas are still taught in universities and applied in industries worldwide. He passed away in 2013, but his work in process safety will remain relevant for many more years.

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Your donation today shapes the future of how families and friends connect.
You will become a featured Ambassador.
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Your donation today shapes the future of how families and friends connect.
You will become a featured Ambassador.
Learn more ->

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Milestone moments

Aug 14, 1961

Appointment as Technical Safety Advisor
In 1961, ICI appointed Trevor Kletz its first technical safety advisor after a series of accidents.
Here, Kletz was required to provide the company with guidance on how to avoid accidents, especially in chemical processes.
His appointment heralded the start of a long career in process safety, during which he would introduce several innovative concepts.

Mar 12, 1968

HAZOP Methodology is a significant part of developing safety and risk analysis
In 1968, Kletz embraced the technique of Hazard and Operability Studies (HAZOP), which was aimed at identifying hazards in chemical plants.
HAZOP changed how engineers worked on safety because the process was now done during the design process, not after an accident had happened.
Kletz significantly promoted HAZOP, and the method continues to form the basis of global process safety.

Mar 12, 1978

The Inherent Safety Concept will be introduced
Kletz, in 1978, wrote a paper that was very influential in developing the idea of inherent safety: What You Don’t Have, Can’t Leak.
The paper concluded that the most effective means of avoiding accidents was ensuring that the processes contained factors that minimized or eliminated risks compared to personal protective equipment.
It became a principle for chemical engineering to design safer plants and thereby reduce the number of accidents.

Mar 12, 1982

Life after leaving ICI and the move to becoming an Author
Kletz retired from ICI in 1982 and then embarked on another career as a writer and lecturer on process safety.
Some of his books, including Learning from Accidents and What Went Wrong?, became reference materials for engineers and safety experts.
The author’s post-retirement activities ensured that his ideas reached a global audience and thus contributed significantly to the development of process safety.

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