NU Online News Service, Jan. 13, 11:59 a.m. EST

The Gulf oil disaster was the result of years of government and industry complacency and could have been prevented, according to an investigation, which called for constantly updated risk management plans by the industry and a "culture of safety."

The study, "BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling," conducted by the National Commission of the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling, or Oil Spill Commission, concluded that the Deepwater Horizon disaster was foreseeable and preventable. Errors and misjudgments by three major companies associated with the Deepwater Horizon rig—BP, Halliburton and Transocean—played key roles in the disaster. Government regulation was ineffective, and failed to keep pace with technology advancements in offshore drilling, the study said.

Similar disasters are likely to occur in the future without action by Congress, the current administration and the deepwater drilling Industry, the commission said.

The report stressed that a growing U.S. dependence on domestic offshore oil makes reform a national priority, with both an independent government safety agency and industry safety institute needed.

The commission recommended that the industry should be required to demonstrate how its processes and procedures will better manage risk to achieve safer outcomes. After exploration has begun, the report said, the industry should be required to constantly update its risk management plans to reflect actual experience. Norway and other North Sea regimes were cited as examples of such risk-based approaches to government safety and oversight.

The oil and gas industry must adopt a culture of safety, the report said, noting that each company currently has its own view of what constitutes "safe operations."

Much as the aviation, chemical, and nuclear power industries have done in response to disasters, the oil and gas industry must move towards developing a notion of safety as a collective responsibility, with a focused commitment to continuous improvement and a zero failure rate.

The oil and gas industry also should establish a "Safety Institute," similar to organizations in other high-risk industries, such as the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations.

This would be an "industry-sponsored entity aimed at developing, adopting, and enforcing standards of excellence to ensure continuous improvement in safety and operational integrity offshore," the report said.

"Drilling in deepwater does not have to be abandoned. It can be done safely. That is one of the central messages of this report," commission co-chair William K. Reilly said in a statement. "The nation is currently highly dependent on offshore oil and gas supplies, including in deep waters. Prudence requires that we not abandon those essential domestic supplies,"

 He stressed, "We must instead ensure that, along with other critical considerations, the application of the highest safety standards and environmental protection requirements are incorporated in decisions concerning whether, when, and how those resources are developed for the American people."