5 years after BP refinery disaster: What’s changed?
March 26, 2010 by Fred HosierPosted in: Chemical safety, Fatality, In this week's e-newsletter, Latest News & Views, Safety training, What do you think?, cost of safety, fire/explosion
On March 23, 2005, a series of explosions at BP’s Texas City, TX, refinery resulted in 15 fatalities and 170 injuries.
Disasters of that magnitude usually launch a series of changes, either in prevention, response or both. Example: The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) underwent significant changes after the much criticized response to Hurricane Katrina.
In this case, the changes came in the form of prevention — or, at least that’s what officials hope.
One person weighing in is John Bresland, Chairman of the U.S. Chemical Safety Board. CSB’s final report on the BP blast, issued three years ago, found:
- organizational and safety deficiencies at all levels of the BP Corporation
- cost-cutting that had affected safety programs and critical maintenance
- production pressures that resulted in costly mistakes made by workers likely fatigued by working long hours, and
- although problems were brought to the attention of BP’s board, there wasn’t sufficient action.
Bresland notes that BP has spent over $1 billion repairing and improving the Texas City plant. It’s also spent a similar amount on settling lawsuits with those injured and families of the deceased. He says it gives new meaning to the old adage, “If you think safety is expensive, wait until you have an accident.”
“When will we know whether the tragedy of 2005 has resulted in greater safety at BP and other companies’ refineries?” Bresland asked. “Only when we can look back over the passing of a significant number of years without major accidents, deaths, or injuries.”
In the Houston Chronicle, business columnist Loren Steffy writes, “BP can’t escape the ugly truth: Without the 15 deaths, the company wouldn’t have fixed what was wrong.”
BP’s troubles aren’t over, either. It faces $87.4 million in OSHA fines (the largest OSHA fine ever), on top of ones it has already paid. The agency says the company hasn’t lived up to all portions of the settlement agreement regarding the Texas City plant. BP is appealing that fine.
OSHA has also fined BP $3 million for problems at a plant in Ohio. Other oil companies have been penalized under OSHA’s National Emphasis Program on refineries, prompted by the Texas City explosion.
How do you put the safety problems that U.S. oil refineries face in perspective? “If the airline industry was having the same number of accidents as the refinery industry, I don’t think too many people would be flying,” Bresland said.
Do you think BP and other oil companies have learned a lesson? Let us know your thoughts in the Comments Box below.
SafetyNewsAlert.com delivers the latest Safety news once a week to the inboxes of over 270,000 Safety professionals.
Click here to sign up and start your FREE subscription to SafetyNewsAlert!
Tags: BP refinery explosion, change, prevention, settle lawsuits, U.S. Chemical Safety Board
Loading ...
March 30th, 2010 at 9:37 am
No doubt about it, the refinery business is very dangerous. The presence of the volatile raw materials, the refine products and byproducts make it that way. I’ve been in several BP facilities and they do an acceptionally good job of monitoring safety and being proactive in identifying hazards. Hey some people got killed I’m sorry to hear that. OSHA really slammed them with a fine. The amount of the fine could have been put to better use than to fund OSHA’s operation.
March 30th, 2010 at 10:20 am
Experience teaches us that even when corporations or their representatives say and do the things we hope they would, vigilence in safety must be maintained. Internal safety policies and programs are necessary and critical and participation from many or all levels of employees is important, and they have to understand that being proactive, even aggressive, on safety issues is their right and responsibility. Moreover, OSHA with teeth is crucial, and is thereby an example of what government can and should do.
March 30th, 2010 at 11:22 am
OSHA’s fine to BP is pocket change for em’. They blow that dollar figure every year in janitorial supplies.
I believe, you can have all the pretty white binders full of programs, fancy checklists/forms and all the other tools that we, as safety professionals use, but if the programs don’t have the buy in and support especially by mid-level supervisors, then all the signed copies of the programs by the CEO’s are worthless.
The “stuff” in the binders has to be implimented at the ground level…
March 30th, 2010 at 12:30 pm
Obviously BP still doesn’t get it. The company most likely doesn’t understand what it takes to change a safety culture and to keep things moving in the right direction. Some people died and OSHA still sees problems in the operation. They should move to criminal charges next if they can’t get the attention of the board with the fines. It’s sad that these guys can keep putting employees at risk.
March 30th, 2010 at 1:31 pm
My personnel entered their facilities dozens of times every day. In over ten years there was only two injuries. One was a superficial laceration that probably would have been avoid had my employee walked and not ran and tripped on a piece of expanded metal flooring that had a broken weld. The other was sprayed by acid and the emergency shower was turned off by a maintenance contractor.
March 30th, 2010 at 3:14 pm
Chuck,
All due respect, but that’s all fine and dandy but when 15 FAMILIES are attending the funerals with their kids and now little Johnie and Suzie have to watch their Mom or Dad get buried is the persepective I put things in.
Not to mention the other 170+ workers that may have permanent injuries and suffer a financial hardship for the rest of their lives. Or they are suffering from an injury that may not allow them to do the things they have grown to love with their kids cause they can’t walk 20′ feet without the use of a walker or cane…
March 30th, 2010 at 4:06 pm
Paul Rotkis: Here’s a startling revelation People die every day. Every 70 minutes someone is killed by a drunk driver. That’s over 20 per day. Who knows how many are injured by drunk drivers? What about these families? The difference is that the drunk driver is typically a low life that has no insurance or enough personal assetts worth going after.
At least the employees knew the dangers of working in a refinery everyday…it wasn’t kept a secret to them. Plus if they were really concerned about the danger they could have sought other work.
March 30th, 2010 at 4:15 pm
Thanks Paul, you are so right on this one. 15 families will tell us that more should have been done.
I do think the CEO needs to be held accountable. The board needs to send a message to the managers that unsafe behaviour will not be tollerated. Buy-in is fine from the employees but management is still responsible to make sure that the employees do the right thing. Culture change occures when people alter their actions and then change their mindset. Kinda like the seatbelt issue. Many people would not use them until they were forced to and then developed the habit. Management needs to be responsible and accountable, there will allways be a few wack jobs that work unsafe and we can’t let them hurt others.
March 30th, 2010 at 5:01 pm
CHUCK:
Thanks for bringing the death thing to my attention; after 20 years as a firefighter I would never have guessed that. The death thing is not that new to me…
But after serving in a “high hazard” profession, I have this belief: Just because a worker works in a high hazard profession, does not give the employer, supervisor, or CEO a free ticket to disregard safe work practices, regardless of the almighty dollar or the tempo of production. Just an excuse for not accepting responsibility and not doing the “right and lawful thing.”
Sure, I know ALL the hazards of firefighting, but as a company officer, that does not give me the right to disregard best firefighting tactics and strategies that would keep my crew SAFER during an emergency.
But what do the drinking and driving stats have to do with this scenario? Nothing what-so-ever IMHO. “What about the familes” you ask? Well unfortunatly, they are doing the same as the BP 17…. burying the DEAD Mom or Dad.
March 30th, 2010 at 6:31 pm
Correction: BP 15 not 17. But we will have to agree to disagree.
TOM:
You are welcome sir.
March 31st, 2010 at 11:10 am
Paul thanks for your service as a firefighter. I too served 23 years in what you refer to as a High Hazard Profession. My point about the drunk drivers was simply to illustrate that there are more people slaughtered on the road by drunks in the same timeframe as that which were killed at BP. The fact that they (BP) died in a single event makes it more emotional, but none of the victims were more dead than the 20 that died in separate accidents that same day. Do you recall back in May 1988 when a drunk driver hit a loaded church bus in Kentucky? That drunk survived the accident did time and paid little if any restitution.
March 31st, 2010 at 11:23 am
Thank you Chuck, and likewise sir. I see your illustration now; I’m not that smart so it takes a little while for me to get things.
And you are correct that they are no more dead than the 20 that died from the low-life drunks that hit them. But the main difference for me is that one event happened in the workplace as you know, and the other drunk driving deaths occur from the result of many drunks. But I get your point…and it is a very valid one too..
The drunk driver issue is a HUGE pet-peeve of mine! My form of discipline for the drunk driver is barbaric by most peoples standards. It’s good to see I’m not the only one!
In the BP incident, there needs to be some form of discipline to the company and the ones that run it, just like there “should” be accountability for the low-life drunks that kill everyday as well.
March 31st, 2010 at 11:36 am
Chuck,
I don’t really understand what your trying to say. Are you saying that two wrongs make a right??? Because of drunk drivers we shouldn’t hold BP exects responsible? I don’t think that the guy that hit the bus should be given a free pass and niether should BP.
April 1st, 2010 at 3:35 pm
I agree with Tom, unless the CEO’s or Upper Management are held criminally liable, things will not change to the degree needed. Billions in fines? Great! You know that the CEO’s pay will not change because of this. Who do you think ultimately pays for this? The gas consumer. Nothing like seeing gas prices go up even more. Come on corporations-SAFETY FIRST
April 1st, 2010 at 6:36 pm
I have worked for BP as a subcontractor. Their system is not that great. I was the one who had to sit infront of a computer and take the safety course/test for the cards for all my workmates because my coworkers had no clue what a computer mouse was. bingo we all passed and were allowed to work on BP property. No existing safety program in our company , we were just a crew that was available to do the work. This is one of those situations where big companies have all the safety manuals lined up on the bookshelf yet the ground level worker is not doing what the book says to do. And when the ground level guy says something is wrong, nothing gets fixed. No suprize there. happens all the time. I feel no simpithy for BP. Its their responsibilty and they didnt get the job done.
April 6th, 2010 at 10:13 am
Akula - and what did you do with the safety training? Hide the fact that you took it for the others? And did you make sure that you passed on the information to each of those guys and that they understood it completely - or did you just go an with the work after falsifying the tests. If there was an accident, who would be more guilty - you are the CEO? I don’t undestand how you think the CEO can be there to watch you and make sure you don’t make poor choices. Safety is a choice - your choice. It sounds like you did not choose wisely. It may be difficult, but you are an adult. Live up to the responsibility.
I agree CEOs and companies should be held accountable. BP the company certainly has been to a total of $1 billion and counting. CEO got a golden parachute, and I admit I don’t have all the answers on fixing that one. But it is a difficult issue because sometimes the top guy gets sheilded. I’ve personally seen middle management not give all the facts to the guys upstairs. It is a culture issue - which is difficult to fix and takes many years to do. I’m all ears on for anyone’s suggestions.
April 6th, 2010 at 12:55 pm
For anyone that feels the CEOs are not at fault in this incident, I would recommend either reading the report or watching the video regarding the Chemical Safety Board’s findings. (csb.gov “Anatomy of a Disaster”). It is a very good lesson in “what not to do”. As safety managers, we are all bound by the investment that upper management is willing to make, whether it is financial or corporate attitude. Sometimes the investment in awareness can be sufficient to create a safer environment. But complete lack of attention to a long series of warnings is nothing short of dangerous mismanagement. Lethal mismanagment in this case. Accidents at the work site happen, there is no argument for that. However, preventable fatalities and injuries that are due to a lack of investment, or avoidance, that is a tragedy. They certainly do not have to be a statistic. It is unnecessary.
April 6th, 2010 at 5:47 pm
Rick all I can do is state the truth. I have no problem answering your questions and providing some background info so you can see where I come from. Of course I did not relay the info to my coworkers. You would offer that as a solution but in reality when you look at that it is no solution to the initial problem. The system was easily bypassable. that’s the issue, not my participation in the bypass. Thats a critical difference. And BP knew it. They are willing to play the game from their side because it all comes down to “get the job done”. The whole thing boils down to “get it done” and “make the production goal”. Small company, big company its all the same. Exxon Mobil was the same. Getty was the same. IBM was the same. That big chemical plant in Tenn run by Eastman kodak was the same. All the power plants I was in as a subcontractor were the same. I come to the safety job field from a blue collar direction. Military right after high school, then college, grad school, then environmental clean up work, then manufacturing work, then truck driving, then industrial servicing, then construction then layoff then safety director in a screwed up manufacturing company. No where I have worked followed half the rules either OSHA or the company itself wrote. There was ALWAYS slippage when things needed to get done. I can remember standing in a lye tank running a vac truck wearing a pair of fishing waders when the company guys were wearing the proper PPE. No one kept me from getting in the tank to vac it out. It is the way it is. I have worked in shipyards as well as 200mm wafer/chip making clean rooms. It is ALL the same. Companies want the cheapest bid, low cost labor, get the job done on time and then get off the property. Its the same laugh when they raid a construction site and the GC says he is shocked to know illegals were working on the site. I mean come on now. Now just so you know, I have in the past spoke up and refused to go into certain work situations and you know what, I was the one fired. I learned a long time ago, its a job. dont commit your soul to any company because they will get rid of any one. I have wrote letters to company owners blowing the whistle on dangerous foreman or company operations and it didnt solve anything. I like to pay my mortgage. that is my guide nowadays. So now I have to be the safety guy. Here is how my day goes. I have to show the supervisors and managers how their shift bypasses the safety switches on the machines. I have to roll back the camera footage to show them how unsafe their workers are. does anyone get fires or sent home with no pay to enforce the rules. NOOO. I have dealt with safety guys that never got out from behind their desks. Production supervisor says all is well, hey safety manager is satisfied. no more than 2 hours goes by between my walks through the production areas. and I have 4 different location/buildings to police. I come in at random times and do surveillance on the 2nd and 3rd shift. They are shocked to know that they are going to be held accountable like the regular daylight crew. My main point being that if anyone having responsibility for safety management is not watching their workers like a hawk then you are simply hoping/assuming that your safety program is legit. If a supervisor doesnt even know mechanically how an interlock switch on a machine door can be bypassed, then there is no way that supervisor will even spot, let alone bother to look for a bypass. My work day is like 10% concern with the OSHA written code and 90% concern with the hands on operation habits of what is going on in the production areas. Amputations are down to zero. lost time/light duty injuries are down to zero. But I know that not 5 minutes goes by without being able to spot a situation in which the process could be improved. Not because 1910 tells me so, its because of all the field work I have done. I do what I can and take the job seriously. But I operate in reality. not the code book. I have sat in the conference room with the company lawyers explaining their strategy. Oddly enough my ass was covered by my actions. A lot of others are trying to get creative and blame storm. It all comes down to a go- no go test. Are YOU really sure your safety program is not being bypassed?I am no longer shocked at what goes on. Its a nice saying …if your not part of the solution your part of the problem. Mean while a coal mine in an area that is known to have a lot of gas release and that was sighted before for not ventilating enough blows up and they are a leading company in the sector. Just another example of safety people that are just bureaucrats.
April 6th, 2010 at 7:05 pm
What good is a fine to an oil refinery? After Exon cleaned up the mess in Alaska they still were rolling in the profits. A price tag cannot be put on one human life let alone 15 plus injuries. Without legal action to hold the responsible parties fully accountable what good is it? Safety has to be taken seriously from the CEO down to the new hire. The safety managers have to care and be given the authority not only to train but to enforce the training program. Suggestions for change have to be regularly reviewed by upper management and implemented.
In my company I have seen the safety program improve from OK to Very good. The two things we did to improve it considerably was to impliment a monthly monetary safety incentive program and a Safety Steering committee made of of upper management.
April 7th, 2010 at 11:40 am
Fines send a strong message that what you are doing is wrong and illegal. That is the point here. Somehow companies have the idea that safety is optional. I would also agree that the CEOs need to be held more accountable. OSHA needs to use the jail provisions in the act more often and expand on criminal penalties.
Paying people to be safe tends to be a short term fix and only puts a band-aid on a festering soar. It tends to mask the problem by convincing employees not to file claims. The management safety committee is good but needs to be expanded to involve employees at all levels by setting up subcommittees that get greater employee involvement.
May 28th, 2010 at 11:58 am
I’m just disgusted by this disaster. Where can I find an realistic assessment of the accurate size of the oil spill? The assessments are widely different from different sources. Thanks for your good post.
June 1st, 2010 at 9:50 am
It is a horrible mess but the media is in one of its news frenzies in hopes to improve their ratings. It’s amazing that any other time that oil is discussed by the media, they use barrels to describe the quantitity. This time they are using gallons which makes the spill sound even bigger. An oil barrel is 42 gallons. To put this into prespective check the oil futures and compare the the number of barrels traded verses the number of barrels that are spilling daily.
June 8th, 2010 at 10:35 am
The Minerals Mgt Service had just inspected the Drilling Platform two weeks prior to the Blow Out.
Strange that this blow out happened to an operation for BP.
There is another situation occuring in private industry now coming into play with this Large Oil Spill.
All of the heavy industries: chemical, oil companies, refineries, and etc. All that have large enough facilities and that handle products that can impact the community are under a micorscope. We are all affected by a disaster occuring anywhere in the USA and maybe the world.
We need to all continue to pull togather and share engineering and safety information. We need to ban as much as possible the “Priates” or “risk takers” in our profession who taint us. BP oil leak hurts all Petrochemical industries in the eyes of the public.
June 23rd, 2010 at 12:24 am
BP needed to consider the long term effects of this disaster.
June 23rd, 2010 at 6:00 am
[...] years ago, the CSB’s final report on the BP Texas City blast [...]