Delaware Tech snd Croda Inc. bought a training system to will help students learn critical safety procedures. From left, Allison Bard of Croda, DelTech’s Dan Ehmann, Croda process engineer Frank Marzano, Croda site director Josh Dube, Dawn Bonavita of DelTech Stanton, chemical process instructors Donna Hummel and Heather Bashford, and DelTech Stanton science chair Lakshmi Cyr.
A sustainable chemical manufacturer with a plant in New Castle has joined with Delaware Technical Community College to buy a training system that will allow students to practice critical industry safety procedures.
Croda Inc.’s donation allowed DelTech to buy a new DAC Worldwide Lockout/Tagout Training System. The realistic, hands-on training equipment simulates standard lockout/tagout procedures vital to the safety of people working in industrial facilities, such as chemical refineries or energy utilities.
“Our campus continues to serve our community by producing well-trained and highly qualified graduates,” said Dan Ehmann, vice president and campus director of Delaware Tech’s Stanton Campus, in a press release. “Future industrial process operators coming out of Delaware Tech will have received hands-on knowledge and real-world training that will keep themselves and others safe while on the job.”
Lockout/tagout refers to procedures used to ensure that dangerous equipment is safely shut off and not able to be restarted prior to the completion of maintenance or repair work.
The procedures are designed to protect the lives and safety of workers servicing or maintaining machines or equipment powered by hazardous energy sources.
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration has said compliance with the lockout/tagout standard prevents an estimated 120 fatalities and 50,000 injuries each year.
“Safety is not just something we consider as a priority, it is a value,” said Josh Dube, site director for the Croda Atlas Point facility in New Castle. “We want to make sure our employees go home each day the same way they arrived. “
The need for professionally trained and highly capable chemical operators will only grow, he said, and Croda is lucky to have such a well-regarded program in its own backyard.
Delaware Tech’s chemical process operator program, based at the College’s Stanton Campus, prepares students for employment in chemical, petroleum refining, polymer, power generation and alternative energy, water treatment and pharmaceutical plants.
Croda Atlas Point also is a member of Delaware Tech’s Chemical Process Operator Advisory Committee, offers internships to students and supports the College’s annual Science Fair.
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