BP well blowout investigation: Safety lessons for all

January 10, 2011 by Fred Hosier

Posted in: BP, contractor safety, cost of safety, Fatality, fire/explosion, In this week's e-newsletter, Investigations, Latest News & Views, safety incentives, Safety vs. production, What do you think?

A government investigation into the Gulf of Mexico oil spill looks at specific factors such as how deep a cement plug was set and whether additional barriers should have been installed. But the root causes of the incident that killed 11 workers focus on common subjects for workplace safety: management, communication, previous near-misses, safety culture and government regulation.

The commission appointed by President Obama will present its full report on Jan. 11. But it released one chapter of the report a few days earlier.

The report says the incident on April 20, 2010, was avoidable and that most of the mistakes at the Macondo well can be traced back to “a single overarching failure — a failure of management. Better management by BP, Halliburton and Transocean would almost certainly have prevented the blowout.”

Among the highlights from this chapter of the report:

Three things could have prevented the blowout. “But mistakes and failure to appreciate risk compromised each of those potential barriers.”
“BP’s management process did not adequately identify or address risks created by late changes to well design and procedures.” Changes in plans at Macondo “appear to have been made by the BP Macondo team in ad hoc fashion without any formal risk analysis or internal expert review.”
“BP, Transocean, and Halliburton failed to communicate adequately. Information appears to have been excessively compartmentalized … BP did not share important information with its contractors, or sometimes internally even with members of its own team.”
“Transocean failed to adequately communicate lessons from an earlier near-miss to its crew … from an eerily similar near-miss on one of its rigs in the North Sea four months prior to the Macondo blowout.”
“Decisionmaking processes at Macondo did not adequately ensure that personnel fully considered the risks created by time- and money-saving decisions.”

This chapter also notes that in the full report, BP’s corporate safety culture will be addressed. “It is also critical that companies implement and maintain a pervasive top-down safety culture that reward employees and contractors who take action when there is a safety concern even though such action costs the company time and money.”

The government doesn’t get a pass in this report:

“Government also failed to provide the oversight necessary to prevent these lapses in judgment and management by private industry.”
“The root cause can be better found by considering how efforts to expand regulatory oversight, tighten safety requirements, and provide funding to equip regulators with the resources, personnel, and training needed to be effective were either overtly resisted or not supported by industry, members of Congress, and several administrations.”
Government “lacked personnel with the kinds of expertise and training needed to enforce regulations effectively.”

A PDF of the pre-released chapter can be found here.

What do you think are the biggest safety lessons from the Gulf oil spill? Let us know in the Comments Box below.

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Tags: BP well blowout, government investigation, government regulation, Halliburton, near misses, safety culture, safety management, Transocean

5 Responses to “BP well blowout investigation: Safety lessons for all”

PO'd Safety Guy Says:
January 12th, 2011 at 10:44 am
So what will the result of this report be? Is Obama going to fine these three miscreant companies? Who has the jurisdiction to fine them? Congress? Ha! How do you legislate good management, good communication and a safety culture? By regulating the heck out of them and forcing them to toe the line.
Obama’s Commission will come out with its report and it will all be very nice but it won’t have a big impact in Congress because these big companies own the politicians. It will all be a lot of hot air and I’ll be surprised if anything changes.
Nathan Crutchfield Says:
January 13th, 2011 at 10:57 am
Two clear items seem to stand out and appear interlinked. First, the methods of communications, second, the lack of comprehension of the scope of risk. This seems to apply to all parties. Is it a failure of current regulations or the lack of being able to rapidly deploy the right hazard/operational information for decisions to be made. Was hazard/operational risk decision making too centralized and subject to non-risk hazard financial risk decision making? Should be an interesting read and something to think through.
Whatmeworry Says:
January 19th, 2011 at 10:23 am
I think this whole mess proves how complacent these companies - and the overseeing government - got in all facets of the operation. Too many mistakes. The environmental damage is irreparable. But I’m afraid this will all blow over as other crises enter our daily lives and take over the news. I’ll again believe things are on the right track if this report prompts HUGE fines and effects some real and lasting changes that will prevent similar disasters in the future.
Kent Says:
March 9th, 2011 at 11:18 pm
It is true - - - When events like this happen, it is always linked back to management, and should be. No problem with that. I expect it. But we have to remember where the rubber meets the road…the senior workers. There are people who did the work who should know better . . . Did they compromise their standards voluntarily or did they get coerced? That’s what I want to hear. We need to start taking pride in our individual activities, doing the job right, being adults, being professional. Management is always responsible for instilling safe work practices, making good decisions, and when they do, they should be held accountable. But what’s wrong with demanding to do the job right. Blow the whistle if shortcuts are being taken that jeopardize safety. We who are workers and first line supervisors need to step up and accept our role in these types of failures . . . Let’s build pride, country-wide, that encourages workers to do the job right, work hard, and have high standards. Let’s develop a national culture of personal accountability, top down, and bottom up. We need to define what’s right, regardless of poor management.
PO'd Safety Guy Says:
March 11th, 2011 at 8:50 am
Kent - You have a pretty idealistic view. Thing is, I agree with you. I, too, wish it would be different than it is. We can do our part, and while we can hopefully influence others to do what’s right, we cannot control their attitude. Unfortunately, as I see it, many people just don’t give a damn. They want to get through the day and go home. Responsibility belongs to someone else. If you doubt that, just look at the increase in litigation - it’s always someone else’s fault.