CSB Leader Pays Tribute to Process Safety Pioneer M. Sam Mannan
"All of us at the CSB are saddened by the recent death of Dr. M. Sam Mannan, Regents Professor of Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M University, and the founding director of the Mary Kay O'Connor Process Safety Center. On behalf of the entire agency, I offer our deepest condolences to his family and our colleagues at the center," Kulinowski said in her statement. "Dr. Mannan presided over this large enterprise for two decades with intelligence, good humor, and a steadfast commitment to protecting workers, the public, and businesses from costly disasters.
Dr. Kristen Kulinowski, interim executive director of the U.S. Chemical Safety Board, issued a statement Sept. 18 that lauds Dr. M. Sam Mannan, executive director of the Mary Kay O'Connor Process Safety Center at Texas A&M University. Mannan died Sept. 11, 2018.
Mannan was associated with the center for more than 20 years. He was Regents Professor and holder of the T. Michael O'Connor Chair I in the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M, a fellow of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, fellow of the U.K. Institution of Chemical Engineers, and a member of the American Society of Safety Professionals, the International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration, and the National Fire Protection Association. He had been appointed to serve on the Department of Energy's Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technical Advisory Committee this year, according to a tribute posted on an A&M website.
"All of us at the CSB are saddened by the recent death of Dr. M. Sam Mannan, Regents Professor of Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M University, and the founding director of the Mary Kay O'Connor Process Safety Center. On behalf of the entire agency, I offer our deepest condolences to his family and our colleagues at the center," Kulinowski said in her statement. "Dr. Mannan presided over this large enterprise for two decades with intelligence, good humor, and a steadfast commitment to protecting workers, the public, and businesses from costly disasters. Dr. Mannan dedicated countless hours to understanding the causes of accidents, assembling vast troves of accident data and bringing together all the best minds in industry to unravel their significance. The Mary Kay O'Connor Process Safety Center was established to honor the memory of Mary Kay O'Connor, who died in 1989 in a petrochemical explosion in Pasadena, Texas. Throughout his leadership, Dr. Mannan was committed to improving chemical safety because of people like Ms. O'Connor and the countless others that have died or been injured by preventable process safety incidents. We shared a common belief that safety was everyone's responsibility. He saw the Center as way to bring collaboration and innovation to making the petrochemical industry safer for all – for employees, for communities, for the nation."
The A&M tribute says Mannan received many awards for his work, including the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station Engineering Genesis Award in 2014, the Charles W. Crawford Service Award at Texas A&M in 2014, the Bush Excellence Award for Faculty in Public Service at Texas A&M in 2012, American Institute of Chemical Engineers Norton H. Walton/ Russell L. Miller Award in 2009, the medal of honor from the Technical University of Lodz, Poland in 2008, and the Texas A&M University Association of Former Students’ Distinguished Achievement Award for Teaching in 2003.