Kevin Lacy, who exited as BP’s vice president for drilling and completions in the Gulf of Mexico in December 2009 after being told that there was no longer a role for him, will speak about the organizational weaknesses that lead to major catastrophes.
At BP he raised concerns about major organizational changes and a risk-heavy set of deep water wells in an atmosphere where there was “tremendous pressure” to reduce costs. Four months later came the Macondo blow-out.
Lacy went on to be senior vice president of global drilling and completions for Talisman Energy.
“When I was deposed as part of the hearings in the Macondo incident the big question I kept getting asked was, did anyone tell me to cut corners or sacrifice safety in the interest of cost,” Lacy wrote in an article for DecomWorld. “And the answer, obviously, was no. It would be rare to find a senior leader give a directive to sacrifice safety or to cut corners at the expense of keeping people safe.”
But he added: “In a time of great change with many new managers we know that people will not be comfortable in raising concerns – it is basic human nature.
“The changes during that time were part of a bigger corporate reorganization and I worried that it was all too much. I suddenly found myself being told that there was not a role for me in the new organization.”
At the conference, to be held 29 September to 1 October in Houston, Lacy will reflect on his experiences and provide a leadership perspective on the organizational factors that precede major industrial incidents.
Attended by over 300 senior drilling, HSE and Well Engineers, the conference provides a platform for offshore companies to develop new process safety, HS&E and risk management strategies for drilling & production activities.
The conference will also provide offshore operators and contractors with new insight into the safety challenges in deepwater drilling and completions, human factors, regulatory developments and contractor management strategies.

Other keynote speakers include John Turley, formerly vice president of worldwide drilling for Marathon Oil and author of “The Simple Truth: BP’s Macondo Blowout”, and Patrick Hudson, Emeritus Professor at Delft University of Technology in The Human Factor in Safety at the Department of Safety Science.