BP’s new safety program: Is it serious this time?
September 30, 2010 by Fred HosierPosted in: Analysis/Commentary, BP, contractor safety, Fatality, fire/explosion, In this week's e-newsletter, Injuries, Latest News & Views, Safety training
PDF Tell me if you’ve heard this one before: In light of the disaster earlier this year, BP says safety and risk management are the company’s “most urgent priority.”
The oil company is setting up a new global safety division to improve risk management and safety and review how the company manages agreements with contractors in the wake of the explosion that killed 11 workers and spilled almost 5 million barrels of oil into the ocean.
For a moment, flash back to 2006, one year after an explosion at BP’s Texas City, TX, plant killed 15 workers and injured more than 180.
John Browne, then the chief executive of BP, said this, “This is not good stuff. We’re going to take action.”
Already, experts who watch the industry are skeptical.
Pavel Molchanov, an energy analyst with Raymond James & Associates told The New York Times that it would take time to determine whether creation of the safety division is more than just “window dressing.”
One thing that BP plans to review is interesting because it’s something that’s also caught the attention of OSHA’s administrator.
New BP CEO Robert Dudley plans a review of how BP creates incentives for business performance to find out how it can encourage employees to improve safety.
OSHA’s David Michaels has said, repeatedly, that company safety incentive programs cause employees to hide hazards.
Meanwhile, there’s good news and bad news if you’re looking for change at BP.
The bad news first: Two workers were seriously burned recently by a steam release at BP’s Texas City refinery, the same location where 15 workers were killed in 2005.
The good news: The incident caused BP to put the plant into a safety standdown. All nonessential personnel spent most of the day in safety review meetings.
However, it seems to follow a pattern set previously by BP: Safety receives more emphasis after workers are killed or injured.
What do you think? Is BP serious about safety this time, or is it more “window dressing?” Let us know in the Comments Box below.
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Tags: BP disaster, BP new safety division, BP Texas City plant, Robert Dudley
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September 30th, 2010 at 3:23 pm
I believe BP is serious about safety, but unfortunately things happen. Because of the recent accidents and bad rap BP has now, it is going to take a long time for anyone to believe them on any proposal to fix the situation. What BP will have to do now is tow the line and make sure nothing happens until the next big catastrophe comes along to take everyone’s attention off of them. For how big of an operation they have, that will be somewhat difficult.
October 5th, 2010 at 11:27 am
BP has always had effective safety programs. They developed one of the best in the industry with their “It could happen to me, It could happen today”program. The problem deveolps when higher ranking individuals start putting cost (risk) over Safety (reward) considerations. BP doesn’t need a new program, it needs to make believers out of all their personnel.
October 6th, 2010 at 9:04 am
BP, I believe is a good company. The problem is that it’s easy to allow production, cost and other pressures to over ride safety issues. This happens in all organizations. The problem lie, I believe, in how well BP will put systems in place to ensure that it “Complies” with it’s own internal standards. Putting new Safety processes in place will not benefit BP or any organization unless they are will to build the appropriate audit mechanisms up front to make sure these systems are followed. Discripencies from established procedures will need to be addressed immediately. Additionally there needs to be a periodic review of the procedures to ensure that they are still valid. Only time will tell if BP and others have the tenacity to do this.
October 6th, 2010 at 12:23 pm
The problem doen’t seem to be if they have well written programs in place, or if they have professional saftey personnel. The problem seems to be if they are willing to accept the cost associated with these programs. I’m sure they will be diligent in their approach for a while but the true test will be after this crisis leaves our (I’m sorry to say) short memory and a new villian shows up on the news. I’m concerned that then the pressure to make bigger profits will effect executives to may poor cost cutting descisions. Al
October 21st, 2010 at 8:52 pm
Those who believe BP has learned their lesson have not learned anything themselves. Back in the ’90s BP came to mean “Broken Promises” to those of us who have to work with them. They crucify any contractor who has an incident and go to great lengths to hide, or down play their own, unless of course, the media catches them. If you want to know what BP is going to do, look at how much money they ahve already extracted from safety programs in other fields in the US to make up for the money they just lost in the Gulf. As always, follow the money…it will tell you where their heart is.
December 14th, 2010 at 6:26 pm
Listen, back in 2005 BP had various types of very thorough safety auditing PERFORMED from top down after the Texas City Explosion killed 15 and injured 180. Their problem is they lack know how on understanding the interpretation and enforcement of their internal standards and regulatory standards. Then they try in every way to cheapen everything they engineer and short cut critical projects in the process from begining to end. They pick and choose what recommendations they want to follow and their implementation process is non-existent. Just look how long it took in the courts to own up to the $50 million they had just agreed to pay OSHA, for the Texas City Disaster. In that case they had over 400+ safety relief valves in their Texas City process that were not sufficiently tested and or retrofitted, as required by various standards according to OSHA and the CSB. What they haven’t learned yet is that profitability is important but preventing and protecting the Corporations Human and Physical asets from loss is even more important. Whithout the BP Chairman and Board realizing this fact they will continue to have large losses that will eventually consume the Corporation from its existence. The problem is that the Federal Government allows them to write all these losses off, then also allows them tax benefits for any new safety items they install or implement, what a sham when it comes to employee safety.
February 3rd, 2011 at 2:30 pm
I think BP wants to be safe and the company is known for having one of the most, if not THE most, comprehensive safety programs in the industry. I read the critics above, but they speak from specific expereinces at best, and complete naivete at worst. For example, for someone to say “following the money” promotes weak safety enforcement simply doesn’t have a clue about what accidents — and the legitimate and nuisance lawsuits that follow — cost a company. I think BP management does. That cost is huge. Even if you were to take the most pesimistic view of the inten tions of management — and generally the lower you are in an organization the more inclined you are to do so, whether deserved or not — i can tell you as a senior officer of a constuction company that concerns for profits alone is a mjor driver to keep employees and contractors safe. Its stupid to think the two are not related and that management doesn’t know it.