Ethical issues of BP

BP has had a long history of ethical and legal violations because BP chose to put profits above all else. In the past twenty years, BP subsidiaries were convicted of environmental crimes in Texas and Alaska. In addition, BP received the biggest fine in US history regarding safety violations. Although BP accepted responsibility, their record showed questionable and illegal behavior for twenty years. One of BP's major issues happened in a Texas refinery close to Galveston in 2005 (Jennings, 2009). This explosion took the lives of fifteen workers and injured five hundred people and caused residents nearby to become sheltered in their homes (Jennings, 2009). The US Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation board concluded that BP had safety deficiencies along with organizational issues at all levels of BP from Texas to London (U.S. Chemical Safety Board, 2010, para 5).

"It was the most comprehensive and detailed investigation the CSB has ever done. Our investigation team turned up extensive evidence showing a catastrophe waiting to happen. that cost-cutting had affected safety programs and critical maintenance; production pressures resulted in costly mistakes made by workers likely fatigued by working long hours; internal audits and safety studies brought problems to the attention of BP’s board in London, but they were not sufficiently acted upon. Yet the company was proud of its record on personnel safety." (CSB, 2010, para 5).

Cost cuts led to this tragedy, not to mention, bosses had ignored warnings of a potential catastrophe. Warning signs had been present for years, but officials did not effectively intervene to prevent an accident. Lord Browne and his colleagues were said to be at fault for safety issues. BP's cos...

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...ial for a catastrophic event. BP then hired a consultant to investigate but took no action when the report confirmed "accelerated corrosion" (Jennings, 2009, p 408-409).

As already discussed, cost cutting is what put BP in the position they were in. Bp tried to convince the community, and themselves for that matter, that they were green and environmentally friendly. However, this study displays both a marketing and incentivised pursuit.

Works Cited

U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (2010). Statement

from CSB Chairman John Bresland on 5th anniversary of fatal BP

Texas City 2005 explosion. U.S. Chemical Safety Board Newsroom.

Retrieved from http://www.csb.gov/newsroom/detail.aspx?nid=311

Jennings, M. (2009). Business ethics: Case studies and selected readings (6th ed.). Mason, OH: South-

Western Cengage Learning.