BP fined over Texas safety failings
Updated on 30 October 2009
The oil giant BP is fined a record £52m for failing to fix hundreds of safety violations after a fatal explosion at the company's Texas refinery plant four years ago.
An investigation by safety officials found that cost-cutting and pressure to meet production targets had caused the 2005 blast - which killed 15 workers and injured 180 others.
The US Labour secretary Hilda Solis said that far from taking action, BP had allowed hundreds of potential hazards to continue unabated.
BP reached a safety agreement with the regulators to eliminate hazards at the plant in 2005 but the regulator says 270 of these safety violations have not been dealt with.
For that, BP faces over $56m in fines. But regulators have also found 439 new violations of industry standard procedures. For these, BP will pay another $30m.
That's $87m in total - not forgetting the $21m fine BP has already paid at the time of accident.
BP says it will challenge the decision but it is setback in its efforts to revive its reputation
