The Explosion At Texas City

2005 Refinery Explosion In Texas Killed 15, Injured 170

(CBS) 
There is evidence that Texas City’s own plant manager, Don Parus, was dismayed by unsafe conditions at the refinery and even tried to get the attention of his bosses in London. He showed them a report revealing that most workers at the refinery felt the plant was unsafe: one worker wrote “the equipment is in dangerous condition and this is not taken seriously.” Another wrote “this place is set up for a catastrophic failure.”

"What do you do you when you realize that everybody at the plant says this place is about to blow up?" Coon asks.

He says the company didn't do much. "Two months later the plant blew up," Coon says.

Before the explosion, plant manager Don Parus did persuade BP London to increase spending at Texas City, but he has now acknowledged in a deposition that it was too little, too late.

60 Minutes has learned BP did have time to fix what was wrong at the refinery. Two and a half years before the explosion, the company’s own safety experts sent a report to London that actually predicted what would happen. It warned that the history of petroleum leaks at Texas City created “…the potential for a major site incident…."

And yet, BP’s top refinery executive John Manzoni said under oath that he only learned of serious safety concerns at the refinery on the day of the explosion.

"The 23rd of March, 2005," he said during the deposition.

"Before that you had no idea there was a risk of catastrophic injury?" he was asked.

"No. I think had I been aware that we could have had a catastrophic failure, we would have taken action earlier, different action," Manzoni replied.
"Are you telling me there were not members of management who were quite aware there was a great risk of harm to people at Texas City before this explosion occurred?" he was asked.

"I believe that there were, I believe that nobody knew the level of risk at Texas City, because if they had known, I have absolutely no doubt we would have taken different and substantively different actions," Manzoni answered.

Last week, the company sent 60 Minutes a letter which said: “BP accepts responsibility for the explosion and fire at the Texas City refinery. We are deeply sorry for what occurred and for the suffering caused by our mistakes.”

The company has set aside $1.6 billion to settle lawsuits with victims and survivors. If every plaintiff settles and the case never goes to trial, many damaging internal BP documents will remain under court seal. Eva Rowe, who lost both of her parents, says she won’t go along with that. Hers is the lawsuit against BP that goes to court next week.

"To BP my parents were just another number. To them, they’re replaceable," Rowe says. "To me they weren’t just a number. They’re somebody."

"A lot of people who suffered terrible losses that day have already settled with BP. Has BP offered to settle with you?" Bradley asks.

"Yes," she says.

"And they’ve offered you, I assume, a substantial amount of money?" Bradley asks.

"I want everyone to know what they did, you know. If we settle and all, everything we know has to remain confidential. I don’t want that to happen," she says.

"So you're willing to go to trial?" Bradley says.

"I’m ready," Rowe says. "I’m ready to go to trial."

[refop]

It's not just BP folks. All of these oil companies need to be looked at very closely. These companies are notorious for focusing on profits to the point of compromising the safety of their employees. Management doesn't have a clue because they aren't out there in the refinery in the first place. If they do happen to find their way into the plant they disregard hazards pointed out by the operators who are there everyday due to "budget constraints" (so they can tell their boss "look at the money I saved our department") and then they get their bonus... then there are the companies that will juggle schedules so they don't have to pay the overtime. Or the supervisors who think a unit startup or shutdown is a race to see who can get the "the feed" into the unit in the shortest amount of time. Sound familiar to any of you refinery workers out there? If the American public only knew.....

Here is one company that got caught. It's just the beginning and I sincerly hope that there will be more scrutiny with these companies in the future.

I didn't see the 60 minutes program, but have been following the BP disaster since day one. Ms. Rowe, you stick to your guns and don't let this company off the hook. I wish you well in this journey.

[eduhan]

Yes, BP stepped-up and admitted responsibility. Yes, BP set aside a reported 1.6 billion to compensate the survivors and the families of the 15 that were carried out in body bags that day. And yes, BP has taken steps to clean up the facility but .... that does not heal the wounded and raise our dead.

My husband's sister was 34 years old. Susan left behind her 16 year old son, her parents, her siblings and countless other family and friends. We identified her by body parts.

And yes, I believe top BP officials should be made to clear their calendars of power lunches, golf games, and cocktail parties to sit in a courtroom and view not just the photos of the burning building and surrounding area but the true aftermath, the burned and charred bodies of those that sacrificed everything for BP's almighty profit margin.

So "YES" I applaud MS. Rowe in her efforts to keep BP from merely walking away with a slap on the hand - a reported 19 billion profit vs. 1.6 billion payout - we can all "do the math".

By going to court, Ms. Rowe is speaking for the departed and aiding in the emotional healing of the survivors and countless family and friends. Thank-you Ms. Rowe from the family of Susan Duhan Taylor. May God bless you and keep you.

And thank-you Mr. Bradley for your insightful reporting/commentary. Thank-you also CBS/60 Minutes for giving Ms. Rowe the platform in which her voice could be heard by the nation, by the world.

[oteo697]

60 minutes,
Thank you for finally exposing BP for who they really are. I also work for BP in Wyoming. I know first hand how complaints are ignored. I have been harrassed to the point of a breakdown from one of their team leaders, and yet, my complaints from myself, my entire team have been constantly ignored by the plant manager. I have finally reached a boiling point and have resigned today. Tomorrow i will be searching for an attorney. I have been in the weekly safety meetings that BP prides themselves on, but to no avail. They do not care at all about their employees, only about the good ole buck.Thank you for airing your investigation, and i think more and more people will come forward and expose more of their tarnished "green image".
Thank You

[ronniegraves]

To LHunnings: I also lost my husband, but not in the exposion. He was killed July 21,2006. I can not put into words any better than you did as to how My family has been affected. A phone call,at least 3-5 hours after his accident, telling me he was dead, changed our lives forever. A part of us is gone forever and we are wandering with no direction. Left behind was myself, two sons and a grandson with an emptiness in our hearts that can not be filled. I also watched 60 minutes and was dissapointed that nothing was said about my husbands death on July 21, 2006, which seems to have fallen by the wayside in light of all the publicity of the explosion that killed the 15. My
heart goes out to all of you. I pray for answers
and the recognition my husband deserves because he was dedicated to his work and his family and as many others, lost his life working at BP making a living for his family.

[lukestep1]

I thank CBS for the viewing on BP. Fortunately no one from my oil distribution co. Donlyn Distribution Inc. was physically killed by BP.

However, BP not only made every effort to put Donlyn out of business, but went beyond that to cut off the legs of the company, in anticipation that Donlyn would not be able to get back on its feet. That level of cruelness is not in the room with Physical-death.

Yet it carries a daily pain that only one who has walked in said shoes can understand. Barbara Mitchell. See my web site eknitsuer.com "Featured"

[araybion]

I can't say enough Thank you's to CBS in taking the time to report on a tragedy that has changed my family's lives forever. My father was killed in the explosion that should have never happened. I understand that BP has accepted responsiblity for the "incident" that day, but will it make the hurt go away? NO, the hurt will never go away. I praise Eva Rowe for letting BP know that not only has it changed her life, but it has changed the lives of those who lost someone. Until you have walked in our shoes, don't critisize what Ms. Rowe or any of the families for what we have done. Just because the other families didn't take it as far as Eva did, doesn't mean that we feel any less pain or heartbreak or anger about what happened. Kudos to Eva....you spoke for all the families...Our lives were changed and will never be the same.

[gmond]

Business as usual in corporate America.

[cmjecklin]

Why would a British Corporation, run by LORD BROWN, be concerned with the well being of american citizens? There concern is the american dollar and ties to corrupt,traitorous politicians.

[cmjecklin]

October 30, 2006

60 Minutes


In response to BP Texas refinery explosion.
As a former BP maintenance tech, I know first hand of BPs Maintenance policies or lack thereof. Theirs is a total cutback on preventative maintenance and employees. Policies that include forcing employees to purchase their own equipment, taking monetary loses, working hours an not being compensated for it, and consistently harassing employees until they resign. Theirs is the elimination of all preventative maintenance to increase profits regardless of its possible harmful consequences to the environment and people. It comes as no surprise that BP does not have the employees, willingness or annual maintenance procedures to test their Pipelines.
Is this the breed of companies we want to take over our infrastructures, Gas, Oil, Electric, Water? One would hope our lawmakers can see beyond a fast buck and realize this is an issue of national security. Hopefully, someday they will see the damage foreign corporations are inflicting on our economy, people, nation, and act accordingly.


[e-mail]

[saransk]

For over a decade, large companies have found the US government, and many states, unwilling to enforce current laws, much less envoke tougher laws, protecting the working class. Only a concerted effort by both citizens and workers will change this oversight by neglect.
BP is just one example

[curtis154]

Re: Bp Texas City
I am an employee at Texas City for Bp. Your story did not provide any information that Bp's own investigation, along with OSHA and the Chemical Safety Board reported already. Instead of jumping on the hate oil companies bandwagon, do a follow-up story that shows how Bp Texas City has changed since the explosion. What steps did Bp take to change the culture in a flawed Safety environment. It isn't always the disaster that is the story, sometimes it is the recovery from the disaster.
Curtis Wilson

[claroch]

Remember the August 9 headlines : "BP admits knowledge of corrosion problems in Alaskan pipelines.
Workers had predicted %u2018major catastrophic event%u2019 because of cost-cutting" ...

How many more lives will they take and how much more damage will they inflict on our planet ... before SOMEBODY steps in and stops their recklessness ???

[claroch]

Remember the August 9 headlines : "BP admits knowledge of corrosion problems in Alaskan pipelines.
Workers had predicted %u2018major catastrophic event%u2019 because of cost-cutting" ...

How many more lives will they take and how much more damage will they inflict on our planet ... before SOMEBODY steps in and stops their recklessness ???

[claroch]

Remember the August 9 headlines : "BP admits knowledge of corrosion problems in Alaskan pipelines.
Workers had predicted %u2018major catastrophic event%u2019 because of cost-cutting" ...

How many more lives will they take and how much more damage will they inflict on our planet ... before SOMEBODY steps in and stops their recklessness ???

[cva6472]

As a part of BP in southern calif many of us could see the culture of a unsafe work place at the wilmington calciner, people need to talk with
maintenanc workers also some operations workers.

I know they would like to talk about blinding gaslines,also exposure to asbestoes.

Work Safe stay alive

[inboxo]

I'm sure this is the wrong place to do this, but I hope you will forward to anyone who can help. The segment on BP Texas City interested me because I know other people who work in other dangerous jobs and they too face poor maintenance, known existing hazards, and manipulated records. Alcoa Aluminum, a company making substantial profits (though less than the obscene profits of oil companies), is a case in point. At the Bettendorf, Iowa plant where they pour molten metal, holes in the roof allow rain to enter the building. If it happens to get into the molten aluminum, it can explode. Management knows about this but does nothing to fix the problem. Jobs that required four people have been reduced to two. When workers are injured, the managers first attempt to make it the worker's fault. Failing that, they require the worker to come into the plant and sit in the medical office so they can keep their safety record--the injury never shows up. If and when OSHA shows up, they are carefully sheparded about and hasty pseudo-repairs are made so it looks safe but really is not. I know of other dangerous plants engaged in the same practices. If the worker objects, their job is threatened and if the union objects, they are threatened with moving the operation off shore. What can be done to correct this situation? Workers are not expendable and injuries and deaths are not part of the cost of doing business.

[marison1]

Mr. Bradley,
I watched your story on the BP Texas City explosion last night. I hope that 60 Min. will do a follow up story on how much time and money BP has put into this refinery to make it a safer place to work and safer for the community of Texas City. I currently work at BP Texas City and eventhough there are always risked involved when you work in such enviroments I feel alot safer today then I did alittle over a year ago. I believe BP should be able to show and tell the world that it has gone to great lenghts to protect its workers and the surrounding community.

Thank you for your time.
Marison Rice
BP Contractor

[bluestardad]

January 21, 2001 soon after gas hit two dollars a gallon. The great decider was on the move. America grabbed its ankles cause he was not gentle. Most of us lined up for his game but now we are tired of his lies he has been telling us, and are a little sore, tired, and need a smoke. We do not want to %u201CStay the Course%u201D anymore and are about to dump this chimp.

[nottoligm43]

biggiemj:
I do work in one of the same top three refineries, such as yourself.
Ms. Rowe had her 15 minutes of fame, and we(you and I)and the rest of the taxpayers will pay for the uncalled for dragging through the courts of what BP has already admitted, so, Ms. Rowe can cash in on the "cash cows", you so decribe.
Perhaps I could understand Ms. Rowe's throught process, had the rest of the victims families were involved in this suit, along with her.

[lreadl]

I agree with biggemj. There is a ceiling on caring. Field employees (the blue collar guys) care, but the bean counters still say no to necessary safety measures if it costs too much time or $$$. I also work for one of the big three. These guys need to learn to practice what they preach. Problem is the office guys don't have to work in it every day. They can just make a visit every now and then, point at a couple of insignificant issues that they notice and raise enough stink to keep attention focused away from the real problem, which is management itself. In Texas City, blue collar guys were trying to tell them that problems existed. I read that Alaska was the same story. My guess is that once the complaints got to low level management, that don't work in the field, the issues were covered up and upper management never knew a problem existed.