Dr. Hans V. Schwarz is a Senior Process Safety Consultant & Former VP Process Safety at BASF
Dr. Schwarz is currently owner of ProsafeX, a Process Safety consultancy. As a partner of decarbonisation consultancy Celanx he also works with clients on decarbonisation strategy. He also works part time with TÜV SÜD Chemie Service GmbH as Business Development Director. His current activities include Seminars on Process Safety, Process risk assessments and expert statements for clients, as well as the optimization of plants and installations. He is an experienced speaker on related conferences globally. The american Process Safety organisation CCPS approved him as instructor on Process Safety.
In the last decade, he was Vice President of Process Safety at BASF SE, leading Process Safety globally in BASF group. During this period, Hans initiated major upgrades of BASF’s corporate Process Safety Management System. Before his time in Process Safety, Hans served in leadership positions in BASF’s Polyurethane Division, and was awarded BASF Corporation’s Technical Innovation award in 1999.
He had started his career in 1986 in BASF's process chemistry R&D unit in Ludwigshafen, Germany, where he contributed to new processes for monomers and chemical intermediates. His PHD in Physical Chemistry is from Heidelberg University, Germany.
Active involvements in associations and journals:
• Board member of EPSC (European Process Safety Center)
• Dechema/Process Nets Risk management working group )
• CCPS recognized Process Safety trainer
• Review Panelist of Loss Prevention Bulletin, a publication of IChemE
Dr. Tijs Koerts is a Senior Process Safety Consultant & EPSC Operations Director of Koerts PSM Consultancy, The Netherlands
Dr. Koerts is an expert in process safety with over 30 years of experience. He is the Operations Director of the European Process Safety Center (EPSC), an industry association, that offers the European Process Industries a legitimate network to exchange experiences and further develop their approach to Process Safety. His expertise and experience covers technical safety, process engineering and production processes within the (petro-) chemical industries.
Tijs studied chemistry and holds a PhD from the Eindhoven University of Technology. He got his process safety experience at DuPont, GE Plastic and Lyondell Basell Industries, where he worked with all kinds of hazardous chemical processes and had management roles in process technology, operations and business. Since 2011 he is an independent senior consultant for hazardous process industries to strengthen their safety practices, technical installations and culture. He is a passionate speaker on Process Safety, and one of Europe’s most experienced Process Safety trainers, having given trainings in most parts of the industrialized world.
Active involvement in the following associations:
• European Process Safety Centre (EPSC)
• AIChE - Benelux: American Institute for Chemical Engineers
• KIVI NIRA : Royal Dutch Society for Engineers
• VNCI: Dutch Society for the Chemical Industry
