Government Orders Company to Stop Computer-Based Training 06-06-2007
- By Ann F. Kiernan, Esq.

One of the worst industrial disasters in recent U.S. history occurred on March 23, 2005, at the BP Texas City Refinery, the third-largest oil refinery in the United States. Explosions and fires killed 15 people and injured another 180. Houses were damaged as far away as three-quarters of a mile from the refinery, and 43,000 neighbors were locked down in their homes until toxic fumes passed by. The incident resulted in financial losses of more than $1.5 billion.

What does this have to do with employment law training? Plenty!

After a two-year investigation involving nearly 400 witnesses and more than 30,000 documents, the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, (CSB) an independent federal agency charged with investigating industrial chemical accidents, issued its final report about the causes of the disaster. The CSB concluded that a combination of cost-cutting, production pressures, and failure to invest caused a progressive deterioration of safety at the refinery, leading to the explosion.

One of the key findings of the CSB was that BP's cost-based decision to replace live trainers with computer-led training was a substantial contributing cause of the disaster. In the seven years leading up to the explosion, the budget for the Texas City refinery training department was cut in half and its staff reduced from 28 to eight. To make up for fewer trainers, BP Texas City went to computer-based tutorials. The CSB found that computers effectively provided factual information such as which alarm corresponded to which piece of equipment, but they did not give operators an understanding of the processes they were performing, or the ability to ask questions about abnormal situations. What was lacking, said the CSB, was "training that goes beyond fact memorization and answers the question 'Why?'"

One of the CSB's key recommendations was that BP Texas City should replace the computer tutorials with "face-to-face training conducted by personnel with process-specific knowledge and experience who can assess trainee competency."

What this means to you: If you want to prevent employment law issues from blowing up in your workplace, legal training for managers is too important to leave to computer-based training. Whether in live classes or our webinars, Fair Measures trainers are all experienced employment attorneys and expert facilitators who allow managers to ask questions about abnormal situations, and answer the question "Why?"

 

Information here is correct at the time it is posted. Case decisions cited here may be reversed. Please do not rely on this information without consulting an attorney first.