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BP attacked over ‘unsafe culture’

070325_bp-baker.gifOil company BP operated an unsafe culture at a Texas refinery where 15 died in an explosion and management should have spotted the warning signs years ago, according to a damning report being published today.The US Chemical Safety Board (CSB), which spent two years investigating the blast in March 2005, says that cost-cutting at the plant in Houston was a contributory factor because ageing equipment needed upgrading. The report is the most critical so far into the Texas City refinery explosion, which also severely injured 180 people and led to an avalanche of writs against BP. Full details of the report will be released in the US later today, although CSB chairman Carolyn Merritt has already indicated some of its conclusions. Speaking at an oil conference in Texas yesterday Ms Merritt said the poor safety standards at Texas City were shocking. “As the investigation unfolded, we were absolutely terrified that such a culture could exist at BP,” Ms Merritt told the conference. Last year, an interim report by the CSB spoke of BP having a “cheque book” mentality towards safety. The Texas City blast, America’s worst industrial accident in more than a decade, has damaged BP’s reputation and was a factor in chief executive Lord Browne’s decision to retire early. The company has set aside $1.6bn (£820m) for legal claims, of which 1,000 have been settled. Image source: Reuters / telegraph.co.uk

News selected by Covalence | Country: Global | Company: BP| Source: telegraph.co.uk070325_bp-baker.gifOil company BP operated an unsafe culture at a Texas refinery where 15 died in an explosion and management should have spotted the warning signs years ago, according to a damning report being published today.The US Chemical Safety Board (CSB), which spent two years investigating the blast in March 2005, says that cost-cutting at the plant in Houston was a contributory factor because ageing equipment needed upgrading. The report is the most critical so far into the Texas City refinery explosion, which also severely injured 180 people and led to an avalanche of writs against BP. Full details of the report will be released in the US later today, although CSB chairman Carolyn Merritt has already indicated some of its conclusions. Speaking at an oil conference in Texas yesterday Ms Merritt said the poor safety standards at Texas City were shocking. “As the investigation unfolded, we were absolutely terrified that such a culture could exist at BP,” Ms Merritt told the conference. Last year, an interim report by the CSB spoke of BP having a “cheque book” mentality towards safety. The Texas City blast, America’s worst industrial accident in more than a decade, has damaged BP’s reputation and was a factor in chief executive Lord Browne’s decision to retire early. The company has set aside $1.6bn (£820m) for legal claims, of which 1,000 have been settled. Image source: Reuters / telegraph.co.uk

News selected by Covalence | Country: Global | Company: BP| Source: telegraph.co.uk

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