The House Committee on Energy and Commerce has asked the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB, Washington, D.C.; www.csb.gov) to investigate the BP Deepwater Horizon blowout. In a statement, CSB’s chairman, John Bresland, says that “It is my desire that the CSB do everything it can to facilitate the request and to undertake the investigation and determine what factors led to the explosion and failure of the blowout prevention system.”
The CSB has investigated the BP Texas City refinery explosion of 2005, and subsequently issued a lengthy report and an hour-long safety video following that investigation (which may be viewed on CSB’s Website). Because of this, the CSB is “… in a unique position to address numerous questions about BP’s safety culture and practices, and to answer the questions outlined in the House committee letter…” says Bresland.
Chemical Safety Board is requested to investigate BP Deepwater Horizon
| By Dorothy Lozowski