Summing up the Seminars

This semester, Chemical Engineering 190: Plant Inspection and Seminar has
produced four seminars with topics in Process Engineering, Pollution, and Health
and Safety. These seminars provided new information on the work of a process
engineer, the environmental concerns of the country and the importance of health
and safety in the workplace.
Process Engineering in EPC
Last September 25, 2014 - A101-102 at the Department of Chemical Engineering
building, Engr. Catherine Vinluan of Fluor Corporation conducted a seminar on
process engineering in engineering, procurement and construction (EPC). The
lecture showed how the process engineer is involved in the project and how the
process engineer connects the want/need of the consumer/client to the other
related fields. The talk covered what happens during the different phases in a
typical project and the corresponding role and responsibilities of the process
engineer, as well as the various documents and deliverables involved in a project.
Engr. Vinluan also presented that the important things that a process engineer has
to have to make the deliverables in time are (1) sound chemical engineering
knowledge, (2) engineering design specifications and practices, (3) engineering
software, (4) vendor/supplier data and catalogs and (5) reference books.
Air and Water Pollution
Last November 6, 2014, seminars on air and marine pollution were held in the IESM
Auditorium in the Institute of Environmental Science and Meteorology building.
Dr. Mylene Cayetano, an Assistant Professor at the Institute of Environmental
Science and Meteorology in UP Diliman, lectured on air pollution in the Philippines.
At the seminar, air pollution was defined as the presence in the atmosphere of
contaminants at such quantities and of such duration that it causes harm to human
health, plant and animal life, and property. As such, there are laws that aim to
control air pollution. The Philippines has the Philippine Clean Air Act of 1999 (RA
8749) which is a policy for air quality management which aims to provide and
maintain healthy air for all Filipinos. In the Philippines, it was found that air pollution
is caused largely by vehicle emissions. The effects of these pollutants on human
health depend on the amount of exposure. Short term exposure may cause
coughing, asthma attacks, as well as acute bronchitis, aggravation of lungs and
heart disease. Long term exposure may cause reduced lung capacity, chronic
bronchitis, lung cancer, heart diseases ad even premature death. Though the level
of air pollution in the Philippines has gone down, it is still larger than the air quality
guideline set by the Word Health Organization.
Engr. Eduardo Bornilla Jr., the Project Development Officer for the Pasig River
Rehabilitation Commission, lectured about water pollution in the Philippines and the
effort to rehabilitate the Pasig River. The lecture pointed out the different sources of
marine pollution and the parameters of water that should be monitored like pH,
dissolved oxygen and total coliform. Engr. Bornilla also discussed the effects of

marine pollution like harmful algal blooms, eutrophication, fish kills, and diseases
among others. One of the polluted bodies of water in the Philippines is the Pasig
River. The Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission is attempting to rehabilitate the
Pasig River by rehabilitating first the tributaries of the river.
Safety Minded
Being safe is the most important thing in the workplace. This semester, the ChE
190 class had two seminars on safety. One was about occupational safety and the
other about plant safety management.
Last October 23, 2014, Engr. Christine Marie Pangindian, a senior industrial
hygienist from ECD-OSHC (Environment Control Division - Occupational Safety and
Health Center) of the Department of Labor and Employment, gave the seminar
about occupational health and safety. The orientation introduced occupational
safety and health. It also covered the difference between hazard and risks, the
different hazards and risks encountered in a workplace and the different measures
to control the hazards and minimize the risks. It was also mentioned in the seminar
that there are standards set by the government and other bodies for the work
environment conditions.
The second seminar related to health and safety was held last November 13,
2014. Engr. Halley Edmund Tugade, the Home Care Category Technology Manager
for Southeast Asia and Australasia of Unilever, gave the seminar on plant safety
management at A101-102 in the Department of Chemical Engineering. The lecture
showed the difference between the propaganda material for safety and the actual
things that can happen and how safety is often seen as boring, costly, inefficient,
irritating, non-value adding and policing. However, it is very important and should
not be taken for granted. To make the workplace safe, it is important to identify the
hazards and risks. Thus Hazard and Risk Analysis is performed. Risk assessment can
be done using What-if analysis, Job Safety analysis, Hazard Rating Number,
Preliminary Hazard Assessment, and Hazard and Operability Study. It was also
discussed that PPE is not a good enough safety measure. It works more as a
reminder that you are in a place with hazards and risks and that you should be more
alert and aware of your surroundings.