Chevron CEO warned staff of rising narrow escapes before deadly Angola platform fire

Houston, US — Chevron CEO Mike Wirth told employees they needed to reinforce safety standards after a growing number of injury near-misses, in an internal video message on April 29, just weeks before three workers died due to a fire on one of the company’s oil platforms in Angola.

“We’ve seen a concerning increase in serious near-misses, especially over the last few weeks,” Wirth said in the video. “Some of these events could have resulted in fatalities.”

The warning came after the US oil major announced in February that it was laying off up to 20% of its workforce to cut costs. Several top energy companies including rival ConocoPhillips and oil service provider SLB had planned layoffs this year as the lowest oil prices in four years reduced their revenues.

In the two-minute video titled “Do it safely or not at all,” Wirth told staff to double down on safety practices, regardless of challenges inside and outside Chevron.

“I know there’s a lot going on right now, with changes under way both inside the company and in the world around us,” he said. “I learnt some people feel that speaking up and stopping work is risky in the current environment. It is not.”

Wirth also said the company was working to reinforce and recommit to a focus on safety.

“Preventing fatalities and serious incidents is our top priority,” a Chevron spokesperson said when asked about the video. On May 20, a fire broke out on a Chevron-operated deepwater platform about 97km off Angola’s coast. Three workers died and another 15 workers were injured.

Last year, the company recorded 12 serious injuries and one fatality, according to its corporate sustainability report. Some of the injured workers from the Angola fire were still receiving treatment, said Clay Neff, Chevron’s recently named president of upstream, in a separate video message to staff on May 30, which was also viewed by Reuters.

An investigation into the cause of the fire was under way and the company expects to learn more in the coming weeks, he added.

Safety stand-downs

Chevron has held what Wirth called safety stand-downs across the business, or meetings to discuss safety.

“We prioritise safety above production, and we show it through actually stopping production, and have the time to talk to folks and hear from them as well,” said Marissa Badenhorst, Chevron’s vice-president of health, safety and environment, in an interview with Reuters.

“We hear what is getting in their way, what they’re concerned about … and then we learn and we start work back up.”

In his May 30 video addressing the Angola incident, Neff echoed Wirth’s earlier message, telling staff that there was an increase in reported incidents across the business that could have resulted in serious injuries or fatalities, many involving routine daily tasks.

“These were close calls where seconds or feet could have changed everything and they are stark reminders no-one is immune,” he said.

Neff called on employees to understand risks, do proper planning and understand what skill sets are required.

“Nothing matters more than everyone going home safe.” 

Reuters