José Castañeda
Bio
Industrial Engineer | CCPSC® | NEBOSH | Co-Founder – Global Safety Solutions
Industrial Engineer and Process Safety Professional with 20+ years of experience in industrial safety, process safety, and operational risk management in the oil and gas industry. Extensive background leading safety programs in petroleum refining operations, turnaround projects, and high-risk industrial environments.
Holder of the Certified Process Safety Professional – CCPSC® credential issued by the Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS) of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. This internationally recognized certification validates advanced expertise in Risk-Based Process Safety (RBPS), hazard identification, consequence analysis, and prevention of catastrophic industrial incidents in chemical and energy industries.
Also trained under NEBOSH (National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health), a globally respected UK-based organization that provides internationally recognized qualifications in occupational health, safety management systems, hazard control, and workplace risk management.
Currently working in the United States as an H₂S Risk Control Specialist supporting maintenance operations on Vapor Recovery Units (VRU) across oil and gas facilities in Texas and New Mexico.
In addition, Co-Founder of Global Safety Solutions, an initiative focused on developing digital tools and methodologies for industrial risk management and process safety improvement.
Professional Experience
H₂S Risk Control Specialist
Flogistix – Texas & New Mexico, USA
December 2023 – Present
Responsible for hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) risk management and safety oversight during maintenance operations on Vapor Recovery Units (VRU) in oil and gas production facilities.
Key responsibilities include:
Implementation of H₂S monitoring and exposure prevention programs during maintenance activities.
Safety supervision during inspection, repair, and maintenance of VRU systems.
Continuous gas detection monitoring, atmospheric testing, and hazard identification.
Ensuring compliance with U.S. industrial safety standards and best practices.
Supporting safe execution of work in sour gas environments with potential H₂S exposure.
Coordination with maintenance teams to ensure safe isolation, gas testing, and work authorization procedures.
Superintendent of Safety & Occupational Hygiene
PDVSA – El Palito Petroleum Refinery, Venezuela
2013 – 2017
Senior safety leader at El Palito Petroleum Refinery, a major oil refining facility that processes crude oil into fuels and petrochemical products such as gasoline, diesel, LPG, and other refined products.
Responsibilities and achievements:
Responsible for the safety of 1,500+ refinery workers and contractors.
Led a multidisciplinary team of 60 safety professionals.
Reduced accident rates by 57% during the 2016 refinery turnaround compared with previous shutdown benchmarks.
Conducted root cause investigations of major operational incidents.
Organized the First Industrial Safety & Occupational Hygiene Symposium (SIHO) at PDVSA headquarters in Caracas.
Reduced accident rate by 17% in 2014, achieving the lowest safety indicators within the Venezuelan refining system.
Invited by CITGO to present preventive safety strategies at the 2015 HSSE Summit in Houston, Texas.
Operational Risk Control Supervisor
PDVSA – El Palito Petroleum Refinery
2011 – 2013
Responsible for safety oversight across 8 refinery processing plants.
Supervised 12 safety professionals.
Conducted 2,000+ safety inspections and implemented preventive action plans that reduced accident rates by approximately 10% annually.
Risk Engineering Supervisor
PDVSA – El Palito Petroleum Refinery
2010 – 2011
Responsible for risk analysis across 8 refinery process units.
Led implementation of the SIR-PDVSA Comprehensive Risk Management System.
Supervised a team of 7 risk engineers.
Risk Engineer Analyst
PDVSA – El Palito Petroleum Refinery
2008 – 2010
Conducted qualitative and quantitative risk assessments across refinery processing units.
Performed annual audits of the SIR-PDVSA risk management system.
Led HAZOP analysis for the RAMPA expansion project.
Budget Planner
PDVSA – El Palito Petroleum Refinery
2007 – 2008
Responsible for development and monitoring of refinery operational budgets.
Operational Risk Control Analyst
PDVSA – El Palito Petroleum Refinery
2003 – 2007
Implemented safety improvement programs in FCC and MCP refining units.
Conducted 2,000+ operational safety inspections.
Led multiple Pre-Startup Safety Reviews (PSSR).
Entrepreneurship & Technology Development
Co-Founder
Global Safety Solutions
Co-founder of a safety and risk management initiative dedicated to developing digital tools that improve hazard identification, risk assessment, and industrial safety performance.
PHIA – Process Hazard Identification Application
Digital platform designed to support structured hazard identification in process industries, facilitating methodologies such as:
HAZOP studies
Process hazard analysis (PHA)
Risk documentation and tracking
Safeguard identification and verification
JHA – Job Hazard Analysis Software
Digital tool created to standardize and simplify job hazard analysis for field operations, allowing teams to:
Identify hazards step-by-step before performing tasks
Evaluate risk levels
Define mitigation controls
Document safe work procedures digitally
Formal Education
Industrial Engineer
Experimental National University of Táchira – Venezuela (2001)
Industrial Instrumentation and Control Certificate
José Antonio Páez University – Venezuela (2016)
Industrial Safety Certificate (2-Year Program)
Bolivarian University of Venezuela – PDVSA School of Energy Studies (2011)
Firefighter Captain
Puerto Cabello Fire Department – Venezuela (2014)
Specialized Training
Project Management Professional Training (PMI – PMBOK® 5th Edition) – 2017
Internal Auditor OHSAS 18001, ISO 9001, ISO 19011 – 2016
HAZOP Process Analyst Leader – API & ABS Consulting – 2006