BP to be accused of safety failings in the US

16 January 2007 10:17  [Source: ICIS news]

LONDON (ICIS news)--BP will later on Tuesday be accused of serious safety failures at its US refineries in a report by former Secretary of State James Baker, according to Financial Times sources who have read the report.

 

“BP has not always ensured that it identified and provided the resources required for strong process safety performance at its US refineries,’’ the report will state, according to the Financial Times sources.

 

The findings could be used by the grand jury investigating whether to bring criminal charges over the explosion at the Texas City refinery disaster that killed 15 and injured 500 in the worst US industrial accident in a decade.

 

It may also be used against BP in a number of outstanding civil lawsuits in the US, the FT reported.

 

The report identified safety culture problems across the North American refining organisation, the FT said.

 

And it put the onus on BP’s board of directors to lead an overhaul of the safety culture at BP’s US refineries and monitor progress over the next few years, a source said.

 

Furthermore, the report was said to implicate BP’s current management and makes recommendations which calls on the board of directors to take the lead in ensuring standards are improved.

 

BP was given the report last Wednesday, just two days before the company’s current chief executive Lord John Browne said he would step down earlier than previously stated in July this year.

 

A BP spokesman said the company would wait to comment on the report until it had been published at around 15:00 hours GMT this afternoon.

ICIS Copyright © Reed Business Information 2009

Author: Hilde Ovrebekk
+44 20 8652 3214

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