德斯勒 人力资源管理（英文版第15版）教师手册BP Texas City Case Notes.docxVIP

BP Texas City Case Notes: This case emphasizes the importance of health and safety in the workplace. The case shares insights on several safety failures at BP, and in particular at the Texas City facility. In addition to discussing safety programs, the case explores the role company leadership plays in creating a safety culture. The case emphasizes the importance of all aspects of safety from policies and practices to organizational commitment to creating a safe work environment. The case also introduces the ethical implications of safety efforts at an organization. Questions: B-22. The text defines ethics as “the principles of conduct governing an individual or a group,” and specifically as the standards one uses to decide what his or her conduct should be. To what extent do you believe that what happened at BP is as much a breakdown in the company’s ethical systems as it is in its safety systems, and how would you defend your conclusion? The case explores both the safety systems as well as the management practices that led to the problems at BP. An effective safety policy starts with top management. Management must not only implement policies to comply with the law, but also create a safety culture. This case does raise concerns of the ethical systems at BP. The principles guiding the conduct of BP’s top management were focused more on cost cutting than on safety. While cutting costs is important for a large company, doing so without regard to the impact on safety does create some ethical questions. Students could cite several examples from the case of deficiencies in safety practices that BP management was aware of but did not address. B-23. Are the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s standards, policies, and rules aimed at addressing problems like the ones that apparently existed at the Texas City plant? If so, how would you explain the fact that problems like these could have continued for so many years? OSHA’s standards, policies, and