Keywords:  management, leadership, disaster response

I went and watched Mark Wahlberg’s movie on Friday…I cried quietly at several points.  Yes, there were things that were inaccurate and there was artistic license taken in a number of places…but basic elements were all correct and 11 men died.  So, what does this have to do with 6 degrees of separation?  Well, you see, as is the case with many of us in the oil & gas industry, we’ve worked for a number of different companies.  In my case I worked for both Transocean (May 1998-Jan 2001) and BP (Nov 2001-June 2016).  On April 26th I reported for duty in the Houma ICS as part of the spill response, first as Assistant Safety Officer and then Safety Officer.  When I first went to work for BP as a contractor (1998-2006) I spent a number of hitches on the Deepwater Horizon and got to know quite a number of the crew, so for me this was very, VERY personal!  It has been personal since 2010!  The movie just put everything on the big screen.  So, my emotions and memories choked my throat and watered my eyes, and I cried…again.

I’ve been thinking about the events, the memories of those colleagues lost or severely injured in body and mind, the 24 hour news cycle that ran throughout my 6 months during the response but most importantly about the fact that this isn’t the first time we’ve had this type of disaster.  In my short lifetime in the oil & gas industry I remember “Piper Alpha” (1988-167 died), the ‘Ocean Ranger’ (1982-84 died), the “Alexander L. Kielland” (1980-123 died) to name but 3.  The “Deepwater Horizon” (2010-11 died) now gets added to that list.  While each is different, they all have one common thread–decisions were made by a few people that changed the lives of hundreds, perhaps thousands. I was not directly impacted by any of these but like so many of you reading this, we have all been indirectly impacted.  As the years go by I’ll forget details, the names and faces of some of the men and women who I worked with, and details about the Horizon.  What I won’t forget though are the words of George Santayana (an American philosopher and poet) who famously warned “those who fail to learn the lessons of history are doomed to repeat them”.   This is what all of us should take from these tragedies.  Whether you are a roustabout, a safety officer, a CEO or (insert your role here) it is left to you and I to remember the “Deepwater Horizon” and learn a new mantra–“Do the right thing, for the right reason…THE FIRST TIME”.  You and I have an obligation to speak up when something doesn’t look right, smell right, sound right…or it just doesn’t feel right.  Will there be another ‘Deepwater Horizon’?  Yes, probably so.  But, how many potential ‘Deepwater Horizons’ can we prevent?  This is what came to me after watching the movie (and I do recommend that you see the movie).  So, I am renewing my commitment to apply what I’ve learned over my 27 years in HSE in memory of, and my tribute to, those who have lost their lives or been irreparably hurt.  It is left to all of us to not forget and to stand tall when one of us needs to call a ‘safety time out’ to break the chain of events.  Will you stand with me?

Thank You!