Archive
OSHA Head Agrees: Gulf Cleanup Workers Need More Training
OSHA's chief agrees with our finding that regulations on how much training an oil spill worker should get are out of date and inadequate.
GAO: Liability Caps Needed a Raise Even Before BP's Gulf Disaster
For years, the Government Accountability Office has suggested that liability limits are too on oil spills are low. Its most recent report repeats, word for word, what it said about liability caps two and a half years ago, showing recent calls for a cap increases are not a knee-jerk response to the BP oil spill.
Gulf Cleanup Training Ignores Advice From Health Agency, Official Says
An official with a federal agency that helped BP develop training for cleanup workers in the Gulf says the four-hour course does not cover important topics that were recommended, including some involving chemical exposure.
No Signs that BP's Tracking Role of Chemical Exposure in Worker Illnesses
Though there are indications that chemical exposure may be related to some illnesses, records released by BP have little information about the effects that oil and disperants could be having on cleanup workers.
Congress Demands Answers on Brain Injury Care at Texas Base
Three congressmen are questioning officials at Fort Bliss about soldiers' frustrations in getting treatment for concussions. An investigation by ProPublica and NPR found that soldiers at the Texas base struggled to receive diagnosis and care for their injuries.
States' Tally of Spill Worker Illnesses Exceeds BP's Total
Louisiana and Alabama are reporting more illnesses related to the oil disaster in the Gulf than the Deepwater Horizon response team has recorded. Total health complaints in Louisiana alone have risen 35 percent since a previous report was issued last week.
Read: BP E-mails Show Decisions Pre-Blast to Save 'Lots of Time' and Money
The House Energy and Commerce Committee releases documents suggesting that BP took dangerous shortcuts on its disastrous well in the Gulf of Mexico. The committee says BP "repeatedly chose risky procedures in order to reduce costs and save time,"
Read: BP's Document on Workers' Illnesses and Injuries, Little Mention of Chemical Exposure
BP has posted an accounting of 485 injuries and illnesses reported by cleanup workers in the Gulf of Mexico. But there's no breakdown of illnesses possibly connected to exposure to oil or dispersants.
Many Spill Claims Remain Unpaid as BP Debates Escrow Account
As BP considers creating an escrow account to compensate those affected by the oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, the company says it has paid about half of the damage claims submitted so far.
Soldier Brain Injuries to Get Senate Scrutiny After ProPublica, NPR Report
Responding to an investigation by ProPublica and NPR, Sen. Carl Levin said he would expand a hearing on soldier suicides to include a more extensive discussion of the military’s handling of traumatic brain injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder.