Commission an independent panel to assess and report on the effectiveness of BP North America's corporate oversight of safety management systems at its refineries and its corporate safety culture. Provide the panel with necessary funding, resources, and authority - including full access to relevant data, corporate records, and employee interviews - in order to conduct a thorough, independent, and credible inquiry. Ensure that, at a minimum, the panel report examines and recommends any needed improvements to:
- Corporate safety oversight, including the safe management of refineries obtained through mergers and acquisitions;
- Corporate safety culture, including the degree to which:
- Corporate officials exercise appropriate leadership to promote adherence to safety management systems;
- Process safety is effectively incorporated into management decisionmaking at all levels;
- Employees at all levels are empowered to promote improved process safety;
- Process safety programs receive adequate resources and are appropriately positioned within organizational structures;
- Corporate and site safety management systems, specifically:
- Near-miss reporting and investigation programs;
- Mechanical integrity programs;
- Hazard analysis programs, management-of-change programs, and up-todate operating procedures for processes with catastrophic potential;
- Siting policies for occupied structures near hazardous operating units.
Ensure that the panel has a diverse makeup, including an external chairperson; employee representatives; and outside safety experts, such as experts in process safety; experts in corporate culture, organizational behavior, and human factors; and experts from other high-risk sectors such as aviation, space exploration, nuclear energy, and the undersea navy. Ensure that the report and recommendations of the independent panel, which should be completed within 12 months, are made available to the BP workforce and to the public.