SCS Engineers recently added ammonia refrigeration Process Safety Management and Risk Management Program (PSM/RMP) Project Director William Lape to their professional team working with industrial clients. Mr. Lape joins the SCS Tracer Environmental team in the firm’s Minneapolis–St. Paul, Minnesota office.
Lape brings his expertise and established reputation as a plant engineering manager, senior environmental health and safety manager, and as the director of environmental health and safety – Process Safety, at Dean Foods (NYSE: DF). Dean Foods is a multi-billion dollar American food and beverage company, and the largest dairy company in the United States.
Ammonia refrigeration is a well-proven and effective refrigerant. It does require special programs and safety precautions called PSM/RMP. Lape’s education, expertise, and experience qualify him for the SCS team who hold safety and efficiency paramount. His experience includes senior positions in the food processing industry, direct management of facility operations and environmental compliance programs. Lape will support SCS clients with refrigeration and food industry changes and energy conservation initiatives while helping to keep their employees and facilities safe from potential toxicity and flammability events.
Lape is also a regulatory lobbyist for the Ammonia Refrigeration industry and is expert in developing and conducting technical and safety training classes. His process safety expertise includes Management of Change, Mechanical Integrity, Compliance Auditing, Process Hazard Analysis facilitation, and writing Operating Procedures. His experience also includes: developing release scenarios and preparing RMP submissions; operating and maintaining large industrial ammonia refrigeration systems; project management with scope and specification generation, cost estimating, scheduling, project oversight and commissioning.
He is formally educated and degreed from Purdue University, an active member in the Refrigerating Engineers and Technicians Association (RETA), sitting on their Board of Directors, and in the International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration (IIAR) on both the Code and Standards Committees. He has multiple RETA and IIAR certifications; is CVI Certified for U.S Dept. of Homeland Security CFATS, and trained in RCRA & DOT Hazardous Materials Reporting.
“Bill is supporting SCS’s rapid growth in the Upper Midwest and Central U.S. industrial operations by providing increased safety and efficiencies to our private and government clients,” stated Thomas Rappolt, a vice president at SCS Engineers, and office director of SCS Tracer Environmental. “Our customers in the region and nationally will benefit from his valuable expertise managing the staff and protocol for safe and efficient multi-facility and multi-disciplinary facility needs.”
Welcome to SCS Engineers!
Jeopardy question: What is the best way to thaw frozen chocolate?
Chocolate enthusiasts know this and will learn much more at the RETA 2017 National Conference in, where else, Hershey, PA.
The 2017 conference is offering attendees a truly robust program full of a variety of topics, including Technical Sessions in the areas of Compliance, Engineering, Manufacturing & Operations. Hands-On sessions will also be available, as well as Manufacturer Specific Sessions.
SCS Tracer will be welcoming attendees at booth 610, sponsoring Refrigeration Jeopardy, while providing advice and help as they always have. Play Crack the Code and win prizes during the conference. Visit the booth and SCS sessions for hints.
Details here
SCS Engineers presents a behind-the-scenes look at the special people who make us thrive and the roles they play within the organization.
Gene Dumas joined SCS Engineers in 2015 as a Project Manager for the Risk Management
group with a thirty-year background in the ammonia refrigeration business. When asked what attracted Gene to SCS, he said “What SCS Tracer did is what I’ve always wanted to do. SCS Tracer has the passion for making the ammonia industry safer. SCS goes out of the way for customer service. Ammonia refrigeration is a very dangerous industry and what separates SCS from other companies is the commitment to safety.” For years, Gene has known Lee Pyle, Vice President and Project Director for SCS Engineers, within the ammonia refrigeration field and when he met her team at SCS, “I was blown away with their intelligence and passion. They are super smart and a good group. Lee put together a hell of a team.” Considering all those factors, it was an easy decision to join SCS Engineers.
Outside of SCS, Gene has been a member of the Refrigerating Engineers & Technicians Association (RETA) since 2004. RETA is a refrigeration organization with a mission statement to enhance the professional development of refrigerating engineers and technicians. Gene states “it’s basically the education sector of industrial ammonia refrigeration. We train, develop and certify the people who are actually working in the facilities operating systems.”
Eleven years after becoming a member, Gene was sworn in as a national president on October 1st, 2015 and was president for the 2016 year. Presently, he is a chairman for RETA and on his last year on the RETA National Board of Directors.
At SCS, Gene considers one of his greatest achievements is mentoring the newer generation to understand their industry better. “I think my mission in life is to mentor. Mentoring the younger people that are coming in, putting them under my wing, it’s very rewarding, intrinsically rewarding.” Gene comments, “I want to pass my knowledge to the next generation because we’re losing our skilled craftsman. It’s very critical that we train. A trained operator is #1: safe and we need more of them.”
For current and future SCS employees, Gene offers this piece of advice: “I came here because I wanted new challenges and wanted something new every day. The minute you 
quit growing, you’re dying. The minute you stand still, the world will pass by you. You better be moving forward because the moment you stop, you become a hazard to yourself and people around you and complacency is your worst enemy. “
SCS Engineers is currently looking for a Senior Professional to add to our Risk Management Ammonia Refrigeration team. For more details visit the SCS Engineers Careers Page or click here to apply directly.
As the weather cools it reminds us that Lee Pyle has compiled a series of great articles for the RETA Breeze this year. There’s still another coming soon, but here’s a review of what she’s published in 2016 to date. What else would you expect from the woman who brings ice sculptures to life in Nevada?
Click the links to take you to the article or to share it with others.
The Process Hazard Analysis Study and “Previous Incidents”, RETA Breeze, Jan-Feb 2016
Risk Management Planning – Get Involved!, RETA Breeze, Mar-Apr. 2016
Mechanical Integrity – 40 CFR 68.73 & OSHA 1910.119(j), RETA Breeze, May-Jun 2016
Incorporating RAGAGEP Into Your PSM – RMP, RETA Breeze, Jul-Aug 2016
PSM / RMP Compliance – DHS CSAT 2.0, RETA Breeze, Sep-Oct 2016 Issue
Thanks, Lee!
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