CSB Chair Says Focus on Broader Safety Indicators Needed to Prevent Oil Industry Disasters

"Better safety data could help prevent oil industry disasters,” says Rafael Moure-Eraso, chair of U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB), in an op-ed piece published on the Houston Chronicle website. Discussing how statistics can be misleading, Moure-Eraso uses the example of the March 2005 explosion at a Texas City BP refinery that killed 15 workers. The incident occurred shortly after refinery personnel had been congratulated at a celebratory lunch for an outstanding safety record., Moure-Eraso says. “But the basis of the kudos—data indicating a low personal injury rate from accidents like slips, trips and falls—blinded operators, managers and top executives to more significant data concerning overall process safety that were warning that something catastrophic could hit the refinery.” Read the complete article at the Houston Chronicle’s website, then tell us what you think in the comments section below.