Content area
Full Text
The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico once again shows that BP places cost and financial performance ahead of ethics and safety- despite the company's constant assertions that it emphasizes a culture of integrity and responsibility. While a ramped-up PR effort continues to proclaim BP's efforts toward protecting the environment and people, the company's actions suggest otherwise.
Readers of this column may recall my September 2007 column, "Is BP an Acronym for 'Big Polluter'?" It related the wide disconnect between the high environmental and social goals articulated by the company and the sorry performance concerning those aspects, at least in the United States. It described a horrific refinery fire in Texas, Alaska oil spills, and pollution from operations in U.S. refineries.
BP's website continues to set forth admirable corporate values, including responsibility: "We are committed to the safety and development of our people and the communities and societies in which we operate.We aim for no accidents, no harm to people, and no harm to the environment." The summary of the BP Code of Conduct notes that the Code is the "cornerstone" of BP's commitment to integrity and "summarizes our standards for the way we behave." Further, CEO Tony Hayward states, "The level of detail and practical approach [in our Code] signal our determination to embed our values and a culture of integrity more firmly in our group [company]."
The section of the Code that concerns health, safety, security, and the environment states, "We are committed to the protection of the natural environment, to the safety of the communities in which we operate, and to the health, safety and security of our people." In his introductory message to the Code, Hayward asserts, "The underlying philosophy of the Code is that there should be no gap between what we say and what we do." Tragically, that directive failed to be implemented on a massive scale in BP's operations in the Gulf of Mexico. BP's Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded and burned on April 21, 2010, killing 11 workers and inflicting environmental damage that may never be restored. BP's agreement to fund a $20 billion escrow account to pay for damages could turn out to be only a small down payment on the ultimate financial cost.