Report: Deepwater Horizon workers expressed concerns

Workers on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig expressed concerns about safety in a private survey taken just weeks before the April disaster that killed 11 people and led to a massive oil spill, reports The New York Times. The survey, conducted by Transocean, the firm that owned the rig, indicated that workers “often saw unsafe behaviors on the rig.” The Times also revealed that a report conducted for Transocean by Lloyd’s Register Group found that several pieces of equipment—including the rams in the failed blowout preventer on the wellhead—had not been inspected since 2000, despite guidelines calling for inspection every three-to-five years. Transocean said most of the equipment was minor and that the blowout preventer was inspected by manufacturer guidelines. “As part of Transocean’s unwavering commitment to safety and rigorous maintenance discipline on all our rigs, we proactively commissioned the safety survey and the rig assessment review,” a Transocean spokesman told The Associated Press. “A fair reading of those detailed third-party reviews indicates clearly that while certain areas could be enhanced, overall rig maintenance met or exceeded regulatory and industry standards and the Deepwater Horizon’s safety management was strong and a culture of safety was robust on board the rig.” Read the Times report here.