The Chemical and Allied Industries’ Association (CAIA) will host its Process Safety Conference 2026 on 4-5 March at the Business Leadership South Africa Auditorium in Sandton, bringing together industry leaders, safety professionals and academic experts to strengthen process safety practices across the sector.
Deidré Penfold, executive director of CAIA, explains why the topic of process safety is imperative: “In the chemical industry, process safety is not just a plant-level concern; it underpins the entire value chain. It ensures that the way chemicals are manufactured, handled, stored and moved is managed responsibly, so that risks are controlled long before they result in injury or loss of life, and costly damage to infrastructure and capital equipment.”
The two-day conference will provide a platform to explore global trends, share practical insights and reinforce a culture of safety in high-risk industrial environments. The programme features keynote presentations, expert panel discussions and real-world case studies designed to support organisations in managing complex safety risks and building resilient operations.
Internationally respected process safety specialist David Moore, President and CEO of AcuTech Group, will deliver the keynote address. The programme also features contributions from leading specialists, including Dr Rohan Perera, CBRN risk mitigation expert at CRDF Global; Terrence Moothusamy, director and technical signatory at MHI Risk Engineers; Samantha Kachikira, director and partner at ISHECON (Pty) Ltd; Charlene Wassenaar, former VP SHERQ at Natref and Process Safety Auditor at CAIA; and Tom Zhao, Vice President for Digital Power at Huawei South Africa.
The event will focus on strengthening process safety culture, human reliability assessment, practitioner competency and regulatory frameworks, including the Chemical Weapons Convention, while also exploring the intersection of climate resilience and process safety. The programme will also highlight international developments and practical case studies, with sessions covering auditing and leadership in process safety management, emergency preparedness and inherently safer design.
“The Process Safety Conference 2026 aims to equip organisations with the knowledge and leadership perspective needed to prevent incidents, strengthen safety performance and support responsible, sustainable operations across the chemical and allied industries,” notes Penfold.
The conference is open to professionals operating in the wider chemicals value chain as well as those who wish to expand their knowledge in process safety.
Registration costs are R7,500 (excl. VAT) for CAIA members and R10,000 (excl. VAT) for non-members. Registration deadline: 27 February 2026.
