Academic Credentials
  • Ph.D., Chemical Engineering, Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT), 2008
  • M.S., Chemical Engineering, Oklahoma State University, 1998
  • B.A., Chemistry, Knox College, 1997
Licenses & Certifications
  • Professional Engineer, Georgia, #PE046320
  • Professional Engineer Chemical, Iowa, #P22945
  • Professional Engineer, Illinois, #62059506
  • Professional Engineer, Michigan, #6201062901
  • Professional Engineer, North Carolina, #37722
  • Professional Engineer, Pennsylvania, #PE046320
  • Professional Engineer, South Carolina, #28918
  • Professional Engineer Chemical, Texas, #133719
  • 40-Hour Hazardous Waste Operation and Emergency Response Certification (HAZWOPER)
  • Certified Fire and Explosion Investigator (CFEI)
  • Certified Process Safety Professional (CCPSC)
Professional Honors
  • Fellow of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers
Professional Affiliations
  • Process Safety
    • Session Chair for Combustible Dust Hazards, 2024 10th Latin American Conference on Process Safety
    • Session Chair for Alternative Energy Infrastructure, 2024 Loss Prevention Symposium
    • Session Chair for Facility Siting, Consequence Analysis, and Risk Assessment, 2023 Loss Prevention Symposium
    • Session Chair for Cybersecurity, 2022 CCPS Latin American Conference on Process Safety
    • Session Chair for Combustible Dust Hazards, 2022 Loss Prevention Symposium
    • American Institute of Chemical Engineers (Fellow)
    • Safety & Health Division of AIChE (Director)
    • AIChE CCPS Technical Steering Committee
    • Member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) Loss Prevention and Process Safety Programming Committee (Area 11a of the AIChE Safety & Health Division)
  • Fire Safety
    • National Fire Protection Association (member)
    • National Association of Fire Investigators (member)
    • Principal Member: Technical Committee on Ovens and Furnaces, NFPA 86 Standard for Ovens and Furnaces, National Fire Protection Association
  • Product Safety
    • Member of Underwriters Laboratories Standards Technical Panel (STP) 2157 covering the following Standards for Safety: ANSI/UL 1206 Electric Commercial Clothes-Washing Equipment, ANSI/UL 1240 Electric Commercial Clothes-Drying Equipment, ANSI/UL 2157, Electric Clothes Washing Machines and Extractors, and ANSI/UL 2158 Electric Clothes Dryers
  • Past Professional Affiliations/Positions
  • During his career, Dr. Morrison has chaired many process safety conference sessions, collaborated on manuscripts and presentations, and taught selected topics covering the following and similar areas of interest. The objectives of these activities are to aid in the prevention of major loss incidents that involve fires, explosions, runaway reactions, and hazardous material releases in the chemical, petrochemical, and related industries.
    • Process Safety and Process Safety Management
    • Fires, Explosions, Toxic Releases, and Reactive Chemicals - Consequences, Hazards, and Risks
    • LNG & LPG Safety, Hazards, and Risks
    • Incident Investigation, Root Cause Analysis, and Lessons Learned
    • Human Factors and Human Reliability in Process Safety
    • Indicators and Key Performance Metrics in Process Safety
    • Mechanical Integrity, Pressure Relief and Safety Instrumented Systems
    Leadership positions of special note have included the following:
    • Conference Chair for the 7th CCPS Latin American Conference on Process Safety in 2016
    • Symposium Chair for 5th Process Safety Management Mentoring (PSM2) Forum in 2016
    • Chair of the AIChE Loss Prevention and Process Safety Programming Committee for 2012-2013
    • Global Congress Chair for the 2012 8th AIChE Global Congress on Process Safety in 2012
    • Symposium Chair for the 45th AIChE Loss Prevention Symposium in 2011
    Product Safety
    • Member of Underwriters Laboratories Task Group for Clothes Dryer Exhaust Duct Power Ventilators
    • Member of Underwriters Laboratories Task Group to Address Requirements for Clothes Dryer Status Indicators

Dr. Morrison applies his expertise as a chemical engineer to provide technical consulting services for a variety of industries including consumer products, industrial equipment, agricultural and food processing, chemical manufacturing, and oil and gas. For over twenty-five years, he has analyzed a multitude of products, equipment, systems and processes to aid stakeholders including owners, manufacturers, and insurers through incident investigation, fire and explosion investigation, root cause analysis, and evaluation and mitigation of risks. 

Dr. Morrison is active in the product safety and chemical process safety communities through standards (NFPA, UL) and technical (LPS, PSMM) committee participation, presentations, and publications. He serves in leadership roles in the field of chemical process safety through conferences sponsored by AIChE in North America and in Latin America. Dr. Morrison has been presented as an expert and advised clients in various adjudicatory venues including federal court, state court, mediation, and international arbitration.

FIRES, EXPLOSIONS, AND HAZARDOUS RELEASES

Dr. Morrison's investigations encompass all magnitudes of incidents in numerous industry sectors, from consumer product-related incidents to industrial chemical process plant releases. Dr. Morrison has investigated hazardous releases, fires, combustion explosions, and mechanical overpressure explosions in various settings spanning from domestic residential origin and cause investigations to international industrial fire and explosion investigations. His analyses have focused on applying the underlying physics, chemistry, and engineering science principles as an integral part of the multidisciplinary scientific investigation of energetic incidents.

Dr. Morrison's practical research encompasses self-heating materials and reactive chemical hazards by evaluating scenarios such as spontaneous ignition of vegetable oil-contaminated fabrics in a laundry setting and thermal runaway of reactive chemicals in an industrial setting. His work has often employed calculation, modeling, and laboratory testing to evaluate evidence and test hypotheses.

WORKPLACE SAFETY, PROCESS SAFETY AND RISK ANALYSIS

Dr. Morrison is a Certified Process Safety Professional through CCPS. His work in industrial settings has been both proactive — aiding clients in identifying and managing risks — and reactive — investigating the root causes of complex incidents. He leverages his expertise in over twenty years of incident investigation to lead clients in both traditional and specialized hazard and risk analysis techniques. Dr. Morrison has led hazard and risk assessments using industry-accepted process hazard analysis (PHA) methods including HAZOP studies, What-If studies, and LOPA studies, combined with analytical techniques such as Fault Tree Analysis, Event Tree Analysis, Human Reliability Analysis, Root Cause Analysis, Consequence Analysis, Transportation Risk Analysis, and Quantitative Risk Assessment.

Dr. Morrison often assists clients with evaluating and improving their process safety management systems through application of industry best practices, OSHA PSM, and CCPS Risk Based Process Safety principles. Dr. Morrison's expertise bridges personal workplace safety and process safety. He also investigates workplace safety incidents involving permit to work activities such as Lock Out/Tag Out (LOTO), hot work, and confined space entry.

PROCESS DESIGN AND PERFORMANCE

Dr. Morrison has analyzed a variety of process plants, their processing units, and associated maintenance and operating activities to evaluate performance against recommended and generally accepted good engineering practices (RAGAGEP), owner's requirements, and designer's specifications. He has worked with processes ranging from pharmaceutical processes, mineral extraction and processing, food and agricultural processes, to oil, gas, and LNG. Dr. Morrison's areas of analysis have commonly included chemical process design, process scale-up, process engineering, process control, and process performance analysis.

Given the variety of process technologies that he has studied, he has also developed expertise in supporting equipment that is integral in the handling, conveying, and storage of liquids, gases, and solids as feeds, intermediates, and products of processes. For example, he has analyzed solids material handling systems including belt conveyors, belt/drag conveyors (horizontal, L-, S-, and Z-type), screw conveyors, elevators, silos, bins, and hoppers; dust analysis, characterization, conveying, collection, and handling systems; chemical reactor technology, arc furnace technology; fluid handling systems including piping, pumps, valves, mixing, separations, heat exchangers, vessels, and tanks; and process operations (both manual and automatic computer controlled), human operators involvement, training, and oversight.

SAFETY OF PRODUCTS AND EQUIPMENT

Dr. Morrison has used his expertise in systems safety and failure analysis to evaluate reliability and failure modes in consumer products and industrial equipment. His work has assisted clients in the product development stage, incident investigation, and through product recall analysis and consulting. Dr. Morrison has advised clients on consumer product forced failure analysis, flammability, and fire containment strategies and on industrial equipment safety devices and safeguard management. He has assisted client teams through RCA and FMEA studies for new products and to evaluate the risks of legacy products. He has particular expertise in heating systems including residential and commercial clothes dryers and industrial process dryers, ovens, and furnaces. He has also focused on oil-flooded screw air compressors and other major industrial equipment failures.

Dr. Morrison's publications list and examples of project experience are provided at the end of this curriculum vitae.