BP appoints watchdog in wake of US explosions

Updated 15.45 Tue May 08 2007

Keywords: refinery, Texas, explosion, watchdog, oil, BP

Oil giant BP has appointed a watchdog to monitor safety improvements at its five US refineries.

It follows the recommendation of an independent panel headed by former US secretary of state James Baker after an explosion at BP's Texas City refinery in March 2005, which killed 15 people.

In January the Baker Panel said in its report that there were "material process safety deficiencies" at all five of BPS US refineries

The move comes just a week after BP's chief executive of 12 years, Lord Browne, resigned after details of his private life were revealed.

The watchdog will be headed by Duane Wilson who sat on the 11-man Baker Panel and will monitor the company's progress towards improving safety in its US refining operations.

In January the Baker Panel said in its report that there were "material process safety deficiencies" at all five of BPs US refineries.

Its recommendations included the appointment of an independent safety expert to track the company's safety performance and report annually to the BP board for at least five years.

Mr Wilson is a retired vice-president of Texas-based ConocoPhillips, the world's fifth largest oil refiner.

His appointment also follows another critical report into the Texas City explosion in March by the US Chemical Safety Board, which said that cost-cutting at the refinery in the 1990s and after BP's merger with oil company Amoco in 1999 "left the refinery vulnerable to a catastrophe".