I proudly joined the BP team as the Learning Technology Manager for Exploration and Production approximately 3 weeks ago. The Deepwater Horizon incident occurred less than 2 week weeks into my tenure, however, and I can say a couple things having seen BP's culture of safety and concern for the environment.  I have never seen a company that is more conscious of the importance of safety and protecting the environment than BP.  Every meeting I have attended starts with safety on the agenda even in the non operations functions like training and performance based learning.  This company not only talks the talk, but walks the walk.  Whether personal safety, vehicle safety or building safety, the company spends a significant effort on ensuring the safety of people and the environment.  I work in a LEED Platinum certified building (Helios Plaza) that is designed to be the most energy efficient office and conference space on the planet.  That culture permeates the whole company and it's not just window dressing.

 

This tragedy has had a deep effect on me and the hard working people of BP.  We pride ourselves on using cutting edge technology to solve difficult engineering challenges and this incident is a deep blow to our morale. Tony Hayward the company CEO has expressed his unwavering commitment from day one to take responsibility for the resulting spill and to use the full availability of BP resources make the situation right.  That won't solve every problem in the immediate future, but it gives me confidence that BP stands behind it's commitment to protect people and the environment in every conceivable situation and it bolsters my pride in the company I have aligned myself with.