Cascading Failures: How Safety Was Ignored at Bayer
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Resources & Recommendations
Books
- "Organizing for Safety: How Structure Creates Culture" by Dr. Andrew Hopkins - This book discusses how decentralized organizational structures can prioritize profit and production over safety, particularly in industries where harm can come to personnel, the public, or the environment.
Research & Studies
- CSB Investigation Findings (Bayer CropScience incident) - This report details the incident summary, root causes, and contributing factors of the explosion at the Bayer CropScience facility, published on January 30, 2011.
Articles & Papers
- "Bhopal, India incident" (Causality Episode Number 26) - This previous episode of Causality provides more detailed information about phosgene and methyl isocyanate, chemicals that were also relevant to the Bayer CropScience incident.
People Mentioned
- Dr. Andrew Hopkins (Author) - Referenced for his insights on organizational structures and their impact on safety, particularly in his book "Organizing for Safety."
Organizations & Institutions
- US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) - Mentioned as the agency that registered methomyl as a restricted use pesticide due to its high toxicity to humans.
- Bayer AG (Bayer Group) - The multinational corporation based in Leverkusen, Germany, that owned Bayer CropScience.
- US Chemical Safety Board (CSB) - The organization assigned to investigate the incident at Bayer CropScience, releasing preliminary findings and a final report.
- Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) - Investigated the incident and concluded it was not a criminal act.
- Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) - Investigated the incident and issued fines to Bayer CropScience for multiple violations.
- Kanawha County Emergency Ambulance Authority (KCEAA) - Contacted by Metro 911 following the explosion at the Bayer facility.
- Tyler Mountain Firefighters - Arrived on-site to assist the Bayer fire brigade in fighting the fire.
Websites & Online Resources
- Engineer Network Causality - The website where listeners can learn how to support the show and access premium content.