Killing employees nothing new to BP...

[dbhost]

It has been bugging me that I haven't seen much if any mention of the BP Texas City refinery explosion in 2005 when discussing BP's explosion and handling of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

Take a look at this ABC News article on the refinery explosion, or just Google BP Texas City Explosion.

Take a look at this Newsweek article. It looks like BP has a habit of negligence, and destruction...

[bing!]

Or that it is an inherently dangerous business.

[dbhost]

Business Insider isn't exactly opposed to the oil industry... Their article here claims that BP has 760 OSHA claims / fines, while Exxon has 1.

Now I know there are things about the industry that are risky, but it seems to me like BP has some serious safety issues.

[Kristofor]

Couldn't we say killing people is nothing new to Texas City?

I think the record shows that the town in general has a propensity to explode, burn, poision, or otherwise slay its residents and workers. Heck BP has only been responsible for like %2 of the industrial deaths in that city, by that yard-stick they're fine corporate citizens.

Okay, that was all in jest

[Richard in Smithville]

For the sake of playing devil's advocate, would any of this ever have happened if we wern't so oil dependent? I know I am and should share partly in the blame everytime I start my car.

[dbhost]

Do we have much of a choice? Going Amish is looking better all the time...

[dbhost]

Couldn't we say killing people is nothing new to Texas City?

I think the record shows that the town in general has a propensity to explode, burn, poision, or otherwise slay its residents and workers. Heck BP has only been responsible for like %2 of the industrial deaths in that city, by that yard-stick they're fine corporate citizens.

Okay, that was all in jest

Okay one post war stupidity involving thousands of tons of Amonium Nitrate manufactured with a high explosive process and a French cargo ship...

And a class action lawsuit resulted from that one too...

[LCHIEN]

Okay one post war stupidity involving thousands of tons of Amonium Nitrate manufactured with a high explosive process and a French cargo ship...

And a class action lawsuit resulted from that one too...

At the time (1947) it wasn't thought to be hazardous. Two ships actually blew up; pretty much leveled the town (Texas City). 600+ dead.

Now terrorists use it by the truckload (McVeigh, Okla. City).

[gjat]

Business Insider isn't exactly opposed to the oil industry... Their article here claims that BP has 760 OSHA claims / fines, while Exxon has 1.

Now I know there are things about the industry that are risky, but it seems to me like BP has some serious safety issues.

They had an OSHA guy on the radio yesterday morning and he made the point that BP is responsible for over 95%, yes OVER 95% of OSHA fines and incidents in the oil industry. His words that BP is directly responsible for 'almost all' the deaths in the oil industry. It's not about us being oil dependent. It's about BP being so big that the OSHA fines are a minor cost of doing business. The hundreds of millions in fines are a very small part of the total operating costs. The Horizon tragedy would not have happened if all parties (BP, inspectors, rig owner, Government) would have complied with the rules and laws in place. The Government let them get away with stuff that other oil companies won't or can't (to the same degree as BP).