Politics

BP Pays 2nd Record Fine for Safety Violations, Denies Safety Lapses

By Anne Landman

Energy giant BP will pay a fine of $50.6 million to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration for continuing violations uncovered as late as 2009 by regulators at its refinery in Texas City, Texas, where 15 workers were killed and 170 injured in an explosion in 2005. The OSHA penalty reflects what critics describe as a corporate culture that pushes speed and profits above safety. The fine tops OSHA's previous record fine of $21 million -- also paid by BP -- right after the explosion in Texas City. OSHA found 709 continuing violations at the Texas City site when doing inspections in 2009, but struck a deal with BP to reduce that number to 270 citations for failing to fix problems the company had already promised to fix in a previous settlement over violations at the site. Despite the deaths, injuries, poor record and multiple fines over multiple years, BP spokesman Scott Dean disagreed that BP disregards workplace safety, saying "The extensive efforts that BP has undertaken at Texas City since 2005 demonstrate the importance that BP places on workplace safety."

Full post as published by PR Watch on August 13, 2010 (boomark / email).