Submitted by Anne Landman on
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."
Printer-friendly version
Comments
Rachel Bonilla replied on Permalink
At least they are paying for something.
I am so glad to see that BP has been cracked down on multiple times in the past and been forced to pay for their gross safety oversights. Now the question is, how much should they pay for all the life they killed and economic losses in the gulf because of the massive oil spill that should never have been allowed to happen? I am guessing the amount should be much higher than the latest figure they paid up to the government.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
When will they pay up?
I'm curious to see when they (BP) will actually have to pay up. I think BP will try to follow the way of Exxon and the valdez debocle. A majority of the people directly affected by the Valdez oil spill had passed away by the time their awards were determined. I would be curious to see how much of that money actually went to the people most affected by that spill.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
BP and their minions
I don't think there many people left that would put any stock in anything BP has to say anymore. Between the Texas City fines, The gulf oil spill and the breakdown of the Alaskan Pipeline their credibility is just about shot. I personally don't see how they will stay afloat. But as history has shown us with these big corporations and the trouble they cause, a short while passes and folks soon forget about it. If this doesn't happen then these guys seem to just fold up shop and reopen under a different name a short while later.
Its disgraceful to the citizens of the U.S. that BP had total control of the gulf situation including the information that was allowed or not allowed to circulate. The only reason a big corporation or anyone else for that matter would have to hide and censor information is if they themselves were hiding something. You don't have to be a genius to see that. But they got away with it and we all know its because they have the financial power to buy that kind of power only reinforcing the difficulty of the U.S. citizens to trust those that are supposed to be looking out for us.
B