Investigation

BP Workers Could Have Prevented Blowout

Says White House commission report.

An extended report from the White House oil commission on the Deepwater Horizon disaster concluded that specially trained experts on the BP rig could have prevented the accident that killed 11 people last year if only they had been consulted. BP workers failed to ask a company engineer, who was visiting the rig, about unexpected results from a negative pressure test. If the engineer or another visiting expert had seen the results, they would have demanded more testing, taking Deepwater Horizon off its path to tragedy. "If anyone had consulted him or any other shore-based engineer, the blowout might never have happened," the report concluded solemnly. Other crucial signs were ignored because the rig's crew was pushing forward to meet deadlines after being mired in delays.