Sunday, June 20, 2010

Safety and Health at BP

What must it be like to be an industrial hygienist or safety specialist for BP right now?

You probably thought by the headline that I was going to bash BP on their safety record like everyone else, didn't you? Well I'm not going to do that, enough people are doing that already. Nor am I going to try defend the indefensible, but what of the honest people who work for BP?

I realize that no body trusts BP right now, and justifiably so, but I don't believe for one second that everyone who works for BP is as dishonest as the senior managers and board of directors seem to be. So what of the good people who work for BP?

What must it be like if you're an honest safety & health professional working for a company with a history of disregarding S&H, who is part of one of the greatest environmental disasters in human history, and whom everyone hates?

Do those S&H professional feel a sense of responsibility for the leak? I hope they don't feel responsible for the leak itself, after all, none of them were on the rig making the decision to bypass safety protocols. But I do hope they feel responsible for BP's actions and feel the need to to do the right thing and see this through to the end, there are a lot of workers out there cleaning up the spill and those people shouldn't become victims as well.

But what about after this is all over, then what? Do they stay? Do they leave? My hope is that they stay. I know the stress of working where you aren't appreciated, yet I do it anyway because I think it's right. I hope they stay because they think they can make a difference, and I hope they can make a difference, after all that's something most of us want in life, to make a difference.

What must it be like?

5 comments:

  1. First, I like the new look. More soothing.

    Second, I have met a couple BP safety guys in my time. Haven't spoken with them since the Deepwater incident. BP struck me as not having a "unified vision from the top," so to speak, that many oil and gas companies strive for.

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  2. I would definately not like to be one of BP's S&H professionals right now. You make a good point about not grouping all individuals of a corporation together.

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  3. For those interested in some workers compensation information related to the spill, especially for Alabama, here are a couple of articles sent to me by a WC attorney. I read one of the comments and even an opposing attorney appreciated the articles.

    http://www.alabamaworkerscompblawg.com/template_permalink.asp?id=217

    http://www.alabamaworkerscompblawg.com/template_permalink.asp?id=221

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  4. RT, glad you like the new look, I thought after all of the vitriol being posted in the comment sections, a little calmness might be in order.

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  5. As a HSE worker for BP I can tell you that Every site, whether command center, Community outreach, Vessels of Opportunity, Claims center, FOB, .... has an ARMED GUARD protecting us. I do not wear a BP logo on my PPE anymore.
    Work is 7 days a week, 80 hours, no overtime pay.
    This is a great time to be an EHS worker. We can really make a differance instead of just making paperwork.

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