BP’S NEW chief executive has said safety is so important to the company that it will be the only measure for staff bonuses in the final quarter of this year.
Bob Dudley added: “We are taking this step . . . to be absolutely clear that safety, compliance and operational risk management is BP’s number one priority; well ahead of all other priorities.”
A BP spokesman confirmed the statement and said a review of BP’s system of incentives by Mr Dudley to ensure employees were never pressured to sacrifice safety would be completed early next year and that the fourth-quarter bonus move was aimed at instilling a stronger safety culture in BP as soon as possible.
Mr Dudley needs to restore investor confidence in BP following its Gulf of Mexico oil spill and other disasters in recent years, and to protect the company’s ability to operate in America
Some US lawmakers have argued the Macondo incident, a refinery blast in 2005, and Alaskan oil spills in 2006 reflect a corporate culture that encourages managers to put profits before safety.