BP acknowledges lag in safety inspections at Prudhoe Bay

by The Associated Press

BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc. said July 26 that it plans to hire 12 additional inspectors to bring inspections of fire detection and suppression systems at Prudhoe Bay up to date. The company said that inspections are also behind on valves designed to release pressure in pipelines and tanks.

BP Exploration (Alaska) spokesman Ronnie Chappell told the Anchorage Daily News that BP had not appropriately managed the work.

Chappell said that since January, five of 12 fire inspection workers moved to other positions in the oil field and were not replaced. Fewer workers, combined with a new inspection tracking that uncovered uncertified systems, led to the large backlog, Chappell said.

Contributing to the large number of uninspected valves, inspectors opted to work facility by facility rather than target valves by their inspection dates, Chappell said.

Both fire system and pressure valve inspections are done by contractors.

“What was missing was a strong accountability back to BP,” Chappell said. “Management of this program was not what it could have been.”