Speaker | Dave Rice, CHMM
Managing Operational Risk Through EHS & Process Safety
Rubicon EHS helps organizations manage operational risk through practical EHS and process safety controls.
Dave Rice brings this perspective to conferences, safety councils, executive briefings, and industry events across North America—challenging audiences to rethink EHS not as a compliance function, but as a core risk management strategy.
About the Speaker
Dave Rice, CHMM, is the Founder and Principal Consultant of Rubicon EHS. With more than 20 years of experience across manufacturing, energy storage systems, chemical processing, food and beverage, warehousing, and other high-hazard industries, Dave specializes in helping organizations prevent high-consequence events before they disrupt people or operations.
Dave’s work focuses on:
- Identifying credible failure scenarios
- Evaluating the real-world effectiveness of controls
- Understanding how risk accumulates in everyday operations
- Strengthening safeguards that must hold under pressure, change, and uncertainty
Known for his calm, analytical, and pragmatic speaking style, Dave translates complex EHS and process safety concepts into clear, decision-relevant insights for executives, engineers, operations leaders, and EHS professionals alike.
In 2024, Dave was added to the AHMP Distinguished Lecturers Roster, recognizing his subject matter expertise and national speaking experience.
Speaking Philosophy
Most serious incidents are not caused by a lack of rules.
They occur when risk is misunderstood, controls drift, or change introduces exposure that goes unrecognized.
Dave’s presentations are designed to:
- Shift focus from paperwork to control effectiveness
- Emphasize severity over frequency
- Help leaders recognize risk before failure forces the conversation
- Reframe EHS as a decision-making and risk governance system
Audiences leave with new questions—not more checklists.
Core Speaking Themes
Dave’s sessions are customized for each audience, but typically align to one or more of the following themes:
- EHS as a Risk Management Strategy: Why EHS programs are one of the primary ways organizations identify, evaluate, and control operational risk—and why compliance alone is never enough.
- Process Safety for General Industry: Applying process safety thinking beyond traditional PSM-covered processes to manage low-frequency, high-consequence risks.
- Seeing Risk Before Failure: How near misses, workarounds, and “normal operations” often reveal more about risk than incident statistics.
- Control Effectiveness & Drift: Why controls weaken over time, how assumptions replace verification, and what leaders should be asking to prevent surprises.
- Managing Risk During Change: Why growth, staffing changes, new equipment, and schedule pressure are the most common pathways for serious risk to enter an organization.
Who Dave Speaks To
Dave’s presentations are particularly well suited for:
- Executives and senior leadership teams
- Operations and engineering leaders
- EHS professionals seeking a risk-based lens
- Manufacturing and industrial organizations
- Energy storage and advanced manufacturing companies
- Trade associations and safety councils
Industry-specific examples are incorporated based on audience needs.
What Audiences Gain
Participants consistently leave with:
- A clearer understanding of where serious risk actually lives
- Practical ways to evaluate whether controls are strong or fragile
- Better questions to ask before incidents occur
- A reframed view of EHS as a business-critical risk management function
Speaking Formats
- Conference keynotes
- Breakout sessions (45–90 minutes)
- Executive briefings
- Panel discussions
- Safety council meetings
- Industry association events
Both in-person and virtual formats are available.
Contact & Booking
To inquire about speaking engagements or request session details:
Dave Rice, CHMM
Founder & Principal Consultant, Rubicon EHS
📧 daverice@rubiconehs.com
Rational. Objective. EHS Solutions.