NIEHS Oil Spill Health and Safety Training: Learning from Deepwater Horizon to Improve Future Response Training
Authors: Hughes Joseph T. , Rudolph Scott 
Published: December 2017

When the Deepwater Horizon oil drilling rig exploded on April 20, 2010, in the Gulf of Mexico, the United States faced an enormous challenge. The massive oil release had significant consequences in the region for the environment and for human health. The U.S. government has plans in place for an emergency response to disasters, and these plans are based on experiences during previous disasters, including the Exxon Valdez oil spill, the World Trade Center (WTC) disaster, and Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. After each disaster, the emergency response was evaluated and analysis of lessons learned led to revised emergency response plans for oil spills and for other types of disasters. In the case of the Deepwater Horizon event, the National Contingency Plan (NCP) was activated. The disaster response was implemented rapidly on a huge scale. Numerous governmental agencies, non-governmental organizations, local groups, and BP employees and contractors were engaged. Over 47,000 cleanup workers were trained to deal with the oil release. (See Table One) Over time, concerns have been raised about the health of cleanup workers, and the monitoring of their health continues.Table One:DWH Workforce Metrics

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) Worker Education and Training Program (WETP) held a workshop in Mobile, AL on May 4–5, 2011 that included a broad range of participants who were involved in the Deepwater Horizon response. This paper summarizes findings from the workshop report of what worked and what did not work as the basis for improvements in preparedness for future disasters. Specifically, workshop findings and recommendations focused on two topics: community engagement in the response process and the development of safety training for non-professional cleanup workers.

The dialogue revealed that local community resources were utilized during the Deepwater Horizon response. However, workshop attendees noted areas for improving community engagement. They expressed that communities possess unparalleled knowledge of their local environments and can provide a valuable workforce to support response efforts. Workshop participants also called attention to a need to consider local community health issues in the response plan, so that information, appropriate medical care, and other health needs are addressed rapidly. While worker training was implemented quickly, training quality needs improvement. Issues around appropriate pre-incident training need to be addressed by OSHA and others responsible for worker protection.

The Deepwater Horizon oil release was a disaster that called upon the U.S. to assemble and deploy tremendous resources to address an evolving challenge. The response was rapid, resilient, and in many ways effective.

Workshop participant experience documents areas for improvement. The government has taken experiences from previous disasters to revise national disaster response plans. Deepwater Horizon response, as summarized in this report, can be applied to further improve worker safety and health training so that emergency responses to future disasters can more effectively address the challenges and needs of those involved in the event.