Only The Computer Knew…

CNN reports on the latest admitted safety violation on the Deepwater Horizon: Deepwater Horizon alarm had been ‘inhibited,’ technician testifies

Kenner, Louisiana (CNN) — An alarm system on the Deepwater Horizon had been “inhibited” for about a year before the April 20 explosion that killed 11 workers and started the worst oil disaster in the nation’s history, the platform’s chief electronics technician testified to a federal panel Friday.

An inhibited mode means sensors for toxic or combustible gases or fire are active and will alert the platform’s computer system, but the computer does not trigger an audible or visual alarm, technician Mike Williams told the six-member panel.

Supervisors on the Transocean rig were aware that the alarm system had been inhibited, Williams said.

“When I discovered about a year ago it was inhibited, I inquired as to why it was inhibited, and the explanation I got is that … they did not want people woke up at 3 o’clock in the morning due to false alarms,” Williams said.

While as a computer person I appreciate that the computer was given warning of its impending doom, I think it might have been more useful for people to know. If they were getting a lot of false alarms, the systems should have been fixed, but I don’t think they were getting false alarms. Based on the testimony of a number of people on the vessel, the Well from Hell was belching methane on a regular basis, and nothing was done about it.

This is like investigating a house fire and seeing the smoke alarms without batteries and pennies replacing fuses in the electrical box – it was a tragedy waiting to happen.