United Steelworkers Expands Investigation of
BP Disaster To Include Relevant Public Information
Tuesday June 7, 10:45 am ET
 Union provides services of emergency response counselor
NASHVILLE, Tenn., June 7 /PRNewswire/ -- The United Steelworkers (USW) is expanding its investigation into the March 23 explosion at the BP facility in Texas City, Texas, to include information provided by the public.
"We're looking at every detail surrounding this horrible tragedy so we can pinpoint the root causes of the explosion and not merely look at human error," said USW President Leo W. Gerard.
The USW formally launched its investigation last Friday with a meeting between its investigators and local 4-1, the local union that represents BP workers. The investigation team includes Dr. Isadore (Irv) Rosenthal, an expert in chemical process safety at the Wharton Risk Management and Decisions Processes Center, and Kim Nibarger, coordinator of the USW's Triangle of Prevention program.
Besides getting the support of the local union, Nibarger met with hourly workers who were part of BP's investigation team, local 4-1's health and safety committee and the local union workers' committee.
Realizing that the emotional fallout from a disaster can linger for months after the event, the USW is returning Allan McDougall, a member of the USW Emergency Response Team, to Texas City. Besides speaking with BP workers, McDougall will be available to counsel community emergency responders who were on the scene after the explosion and talk with citizens from the surrounding community.
"This explosion was a traumatic experience for a lot of people and we want the community to know we have someone who can help them cope with their feelings," said USW Region Six Director Gary Beevers.
The USW is the largest industrial union in North America and represents over 850,000 workers. Website: http://www.uswa.org .
Source:
United Steelworkers
Engineering News Archive
|
