BP could learn from Exxon's safety response to Valdez oil spill
By Julie Schmit, USA TODAY:
"GULF OF MEXICO — Ricky MARTIN, who oversees operations on ExxonMobil's Hoover-Diana oil and gas platform here, has a problem. MARTIN, 54, has two visitors at the platform. The company's safety rules say they each need an escort who could get them to lifeboats in case there's an emergency. MARTIN had planned for two escorts. But when the visitors decide to split up, one ends up with both escorts, leaving the other visitor without one.
The day is routine. The weather is good. In six years, no one on the Hoover-Diana has sustained an injury that's caused them to miss even one day of work, Exxon (XOM) says. Still, MARTIN doesn't budge on the safety standard: "We'll just have to find another (escort) person," he says.
Little details like that, Exxon says, may seem so minor they don't matter. But the company, which before BP was known for the USA's most notorious oil spill, says they add up to a culture that makes deepwater oil drilling safe. The Exxon Valdez spill 21 years ago in Alaska marked a turning point for Exxon that gave rise to processes that have made Exxon a safer operator, industry analysts say. BP needs a similar change, many argue, given the devastating spill.
"If they (BP officials) want to instill confidence that they are fit ... they need to go down that same road," says Howard WHEELDON, senior industry strategist at BGC Partners in London.
The Valdez tanker ran aground in 1989. While the media focus then was on the alcohol consumption of its captain, factors behind the incident included a broken sonar system, crew fatigue and improper maneuvering of the vessel by the third mate.
The incident marked a "low point" for Exxon, CEO Rex TILLERSON testified at a congressional hearing in June. But it also led Exxon to a "top-to-bottom review" of operations, he says. That resulted in a safety system that now touches practically everything Exxon does, including well design, equipment standards and safety escort rules.
Exxon, the world's largest publicly traded international oil and gas company, sticks to its standards, TILLERSON says, even if it means tough decisions need to be made. "We do not proceed with operations if we cannot do so safely," he said. In 2006, Exxon halted drilling in an oil field in the Gulf of Mexico, dubbed Blackbeard, because it got too dangerous — even though Exxon had spent $185 million and 575 days drilling.
"That they walked away says something. That's standard-setting for the industry," says Rick STEINER, a marine biologist who worked on the Valdez spill and is a frequent industry critic"...
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http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/energy/...y+-+Top+Stories%29 -----------
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