Christopher Coles, CSP, MEng, PEng

Area of Study / Keywords

School of Engineering Safety and Risk Management

About

After more than 25 years of industrial experience, Chris Coles joined the University of Alberta in 2017 as Associate Director, The David and Joan Lynch School of Engineering Safety & Risk Management in the Faculty of Engineering.

Chris has worked with national and international safety, health, environment, and security (SHES) legislation for multiple jurisdictions. He has experience with a variety of SHES governance models and systems. He has developed and implemented strategic plans and initiatives to manage SHES risks that align-to and support corporate culture of organization. He understands the value of building relationships with various cultures and across multiple stakeholders, including boards of directors, senior management, operations, suppliers, regulators, business partners and customers.

Chris spent 22 years with Mobil (ExxonMobil) where he worked in Canada and abroad. He started his career as Operations Engineer, and after three years returned to graduate school to obtain his Masters in Environmental Engineering. Upon graduation, he worked with EBA Environmental for a year. He then returned to Mobil where he progressed through a variety of assignments including: EHS Pipelines Advisor, Sr. EHS Advisor for Kearl Oilsands, EHS Coordinator for Sable Offshore Energy, SHES Manager for Expansion Projects at RasGas Company, and SHS Manager for Western Canada Major Projects (Imperial Oil). Chris spent four years at Cenovus Energy where he was VP Operations Safety for three years and one year as VP, Manufacturing Performance. Prior to joining the University of Alberta, Chris was VP, EHS & Regulatory with Veresen.

Teaching

His teaching interests include ENGG 404 Engineering Safety and Risk Management – Leadership in Risk Management, and ENGG 406 Engineering Safety and Risk Management – Methodologies and Tools.

ENGG 404 - Engineering Safety and Risk Management-Leadership in Risk Management

Basic concepts of risk and consequences of loss incidents; risk management principles and practices; incident investigation, causation, root cause analysis; process safety management; the roles of government agencies, professional bodies and industry associations; workplace safety; risk-based decision-making processes; leadership and the human-factors side of risk management. The course focuses on the principles and practices of leadership towards the effective application and implementation of risk management in major organizations across all engineering disciplines. Industry virtual tours, case studies, seminars and team projects specific to the student's engineering program will be used to develop competencies and proficiencies in applying leadership and organizational effectiveness for successful risk management.

ENGG 406 - Engineering Safety and Risk Management - Methodologies and Tools

Introduction to process safety. Basic concepts of fires, explosions and releases. Introduction to process hazards analysis, methodologies and tools. Overview of process safety management frameworks. Case studies and industrial tour(s) demonstrate the application of specialized tools and methodologies in complex industrial operations across all engineering disciplines. Seminars develop competencies and proficiencies in applying these specialized methodologies and tools towards proactive risk management. Requires payment of additional student instructional support fees Refer to the Tuition and Fees page in the University Regulations section of the Calendar. Prerequisite: ENGG 404 or consent of the instructor.

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