After nearly two decades, Seán Ottewell retires from Chemical Processing, leaving behind a legacy that spans battlefield bones, Neanderthal adhesives and one particularly memorable hedge. In this episode, Editor-in-Chief Traci Purdum highlights some of his best work...including taking a tinkle on his neighbor's landscaping.

Supply chain shocks from the Iran conflict, a contested overhaul of chemical safety law, an ethylene oxide rollback and a green chemistry advance — the month's biggest stories summarized by Executive Editor Jonathan Katz.

Cross-training process plant operators sounds simple, but execution is often flawed. Human factors engineer Dave Strobhar explains that effective cross-training must be based on job complexity and demonstrated competency — not arbitrary time requirements. Common pitfalls include inconsistent crew procedures that cause negative transfer of training, inadequate alarm management for operators returning to console roles and subjective assessments that fail to verify true proficiency. Decision-making exercises offer a low-cost way to prepare crews for high-stakes, low-frequency events. Looking ahead, Strobhar predicts automation and AI will fundamentally reshape operator roles, demanding more technical knowledge and sharper system-oversight skills from tomorrow's workforce.