Twan van den Broek is discipline manager HSSE at KH Engineering. HSSE stands for health, safety, security, and environment. ‘It’s a fascinating field that spans both technical and legal aspects.’
Twan is in his second stint at KH Engineering. After studying Chemical Technology, he joined the company over twenty years ago as a process engineer. After three and a half years, he decided to try his luck at the Labour Inspectorate. ‘There, I was able to study Higher Safety Engineering, which also involves interpreting legislation as a significant factor. What I missed during my time as an inspector was that you merely identify problems without playing a role in providing solutions. At KH Engineering, we do exactly that! That’s why, thirteen years ago, I returned to KH Engineering.’
Multiple roles
‘I never lack variety in my daily work’, says Twan. ‘I work on multiple projects simultaneously. Each project is bespoke. One project might be for a large multinational with all the HSSE procedures in place. Another time, it’s a project for a start-up with only five employees. In such cases, I support them in implementing the right procedures properly. But I wear many hats, as I am also a project manager for monodisciplinary projects and head of the department.’
Freedom
The department currently consists of seven employees. ‘But we are looking to expand our team. Our work has both technical and legal components. Often, there’s a project team at a client site working on an HSSE query. For instance, at Alco Energy Rotterdam, we assess the explosion safety of their bioethanol plant. We conduct a thorough investigation into the applicable regulations and provide advice on the most suitable solution.
My colleagues and I work independently, on multiple projects simultaneously, and have a lot of freedom in how we organise our work, provided the quality is maintained and deadlines are met. When the workload exceeds our department’s capacity, we can fortunately rely on a flexible internal pool of process engineers to step in.’
Golden age
‘I don’t often talk about my work at parties because it’s usually too complex or involves confidential information. What I do notice is that hardly anyone realises what it takes before you can, for example, refuel at a petrol station. At KH Engineering, we design almost the entire supply chain. And other supply chains, of course. The energy transition is rapidly adding new aspects to our work, such as hydrogen and renewables. How will we safely transport and store them? KH Engineering has a prominent role in the energy transition. It’s a golden age to be part of this.’
Finding balance
Twan describes the work atmosphere as very pleasant. ‘Although hybrid working has brought some changes. Previously, everyone was always in the office, and social interactions were more frequent. Now, most colleagues work from home a few days a week. I typically work two days a week in the office and regularly spend a day on location at clients’ sites for preliminary meetings or site inspections. Working from home certainly has its advantages, but you have fewer spontaneous interactions with colleagues, like at the coffee machine. It’s about finding the right balance.’
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The photos of Twan were taken at Alco Energy Rotterdam.