11 Fires, 60 Days: What's Really Behind the 2026 Refinery Crisis

About this episode

Trish Kerin discusses the alarming trend of refinery fires and the underlying systemic issues contributing to the 2026 Refinery Crisis.

Eleven refinery and fuel facility fires across four continents in roughly 60 days — that's the alarming backdrop for this episode of Process Safety with Trish and Traci. Process safety expert Trish Kerin examines whether the 2026 incidents are a statistical anomaly or a symptom of deeper systemic pressure. She points to deferred maintenance, narrowing margins and the normalization of risk during periods of production stress as key contributing factors. Kerin also addresses the unique vulnerabilities of new facilities and aging infrastructure. Her bottom line: know your controls, check that they're working and talk to your people. Stick around for the bonus material at the end.

People in this episode

Host: Trish Kerin

Topics covered

• refinery fires
• process safety
• systemic pressure
• maintenance
• production stress

Keywords

• refinery fires
• process safety
• systemic pressure
• deferred maintenance
• production stress

Mentioned in this episode

Places: four continents

More episodes of Process Safety with Trish & Traci

• Process Safety: Meet Me Under the Clocks · May 26, 2026 · 6 min
• Leading Safely in a VUCA World · April 21, 2026 · 28 min
• When Level Nozzle Placement and Operator Behavior Collide · April 7, 2026 · 4 min
• Could vs. Should: What 'Jurassic Park' Can Teach Us About Process Safety · March 24, 2026 · 6 min
• When Nature Attacks: Preparing Chemical Facilities for NATECH Events · March 10, 2026 · 30 min
• Human Factors Engineering: Designing Systems Around Our Limitations · February 24, 2026 · 7 min