Proforma Safety Blog

Lessons Will Be Learned from the Deepwater Horizon

Posted by proforma on June 6, 2010

The Deepwater Horizon is a tragedy first and foremost because of the loss of 11 lives, but also because of the continued impact on Gulf of Mexico residents, wildlife, property and businesses, and on the companies, employees and shareholders associated with the spill, including BP, Anadarko Petroleum and Matsui Oil Exploration (minority partners), Transocean, Halliburton and Cameron. All are facing scores of lawsuits for damages and liabilities.

The reputation of BP has sunk precipitously and the affects will be felt by the nation and the energy industry for many years.

Proforma Safety President Scott Arnold warns of the risks incurred by losing sight of priorities. “It’s safety first, then quality and scheduling cost. Budget alone should not drive drilling decisions. Cutting corners, getting away from standard safety practices – including stopping the job until you get answers – will propel you into situations where you can’t recover.”

Proforma Safety CEO Mike Arnold believes that producing oil and natural gas CAN be accomplished safely, and cites his 30-year as a safety engineer and as a professional HSE (Health, Safety and Environmental) advisor, whose team of safety professionals has helped companies achieve millions of safe man-hours as proof. “We have the science, the technology, the expertise and the will to develop safely in the Gulf of Mexico,” he said. “Failure to do so will curtail supply, cripple the economy and adversely affect every American family.

“Research into the causes of this tragic event will become a major focus for the energy industry in the coming months,” he continued. “It is absolutely critical that every one of us in the industry evaluate our personal and organizational conduct, professional relationships, decision making processes, response plans, safety procedures, training, equipment, regulations and best practices. This disaster tells us that there’s room for improvement in every aspect of our operations and our engagement with key agencies and constituencies.”

Recent News

The Wall Street Journal  reported that “BP made choices over the course of the project that rendered this well more vulnerable to the blowout.”

Shareholders have sued the board of BP Plc for failing to monitor safety and exposing the company to liability.

Some Deepwater Horizon workers said that safety was paramount for BP and Transocean. But two workers have charged the companies with cutting corners on safety and neglecting maintenance in favor of higher profits.

On June 1, global jitters sent the Dow dropping nearly 100 points  upon news the U.S. Government has initiated a criminal probe.

In his 30-Day Safety Report, Ken Salazar, Secretary of the Interior, has called for aggressive new operating standards and safety requirements.