Well, yes, I should have been more specific but as we were discussing the environmental cost of this situation I think it may be a little obvious I was thinking in that direction. So I should have said "environmental safety" rather than just "safety" but you know that whole thing with quickly typing up a response while having a cup of coffee in the morning...

So, what I would say is OSHA would not be where I would want to look for a track record as that would only provide me with statistics on employee safety as that is what they oversee. Also, statistics can be misleading and even with the EPA there exists a variety of deal making procedures that allow for things to "go away" if such and such "voluntary effort" is met and other fun stuff. So, a true picture would be blurry at best but I seem to recall several reports on the industry with regards to shoddy methods of transport, neglected pipelines, poor inspection procedures, etc...

Now, I can't say who is responsible for what, did they subcontract this company to oversee shipping, or that company to inspect equipment on a rig or pipeline...so how much falls directly on the shoulders of BP or Exxon and how much on the subcontractor? As I said in my post I'm not looking to serve a head up on a platter only to acknowledge there is a rather large problem there.

I'm aware there are many subcontractors involved in the process and in fact have worked with some that are responsible for safety and quality inspections of tanks and storage facilities. The thing is if you see something like this pinned on one guy or a small group of guys there is probably something very greasy going on...

An "accident" this large seems to indicate a rather huge failure that was a long time in the making.