QAULITY CONTROL

BP Oil Spill and the Quality Control Measures

Table of Contents

Introduction1

Potential of using quality control and quality assurance methods1

Six Sigma tools for quality assurance4

Six sigma tools6

Process mapping6

Statistical analysis7

Software7

Conclusion8

References9

BP Oil Spill and the Quality Control Measures

Introduction

The British Petroleum oil spill happened in the year 2010 in April and captured the attention of the world when the offshore drilling rig which was semi-submersed in water blew and sank within two days. This killed 11 people and has had many repercussions post oil spill. This offshore drilling project was being carried out in the Gulf of Mexico at Macondo Prospect field (Thornley 2009, p. 1-4). Offshore oil drilling is a process whereby a well is created in the seabed. Under the seabed, there are numerous rock formations that contain hydrocarbons valuable for the oil explorers. The drilling of oil is done not only in the sea but also at the inshore seas, lakes and inland oceans. Oil is an essential component of a human's everyday life. It is also essential for the economic well being of a country.

However, for the environmental analysts, the oil drilling is a grave and controversial matter and has been debated for several years on the pretext of the environmental issues associated with the drilling of oil. The paper talks about the potential of using quality control and quality assurance methods to avoid disasters such as the BP oil spill and the way six sigma tools can be used for quality assurance.

Potential of using quality control and quality assurance methods

When it comes to quality control and disasters, the quality control tools and methods should be used not only to prevent such accidents but also to clean up after the incident has occurred. In order to understand the importance of using quality control tools, it is imperative to state the many consequences of the offshore oil drilling. These are discussed hereunder.

Offshore oil drilling is hazardous and has long been associated with damage for marine life. Some of the marine species on the verge of extinction have been adversely affected due to the offshore oil drilling (Nersesian, p. 124). History has seen many oil spills and the affects of such oil spills are undoable. The oil spill of Santa Barbara is known to date (Haerens, p. 37). The cost benefit analysis of offshore oil drilling reveals that the exploration has more harms than its benefits. The safety measures taken for oil spilling are no good. This is reflected in the unfortunate situation like the Deepwater Horizon.

Oil drilling is a very risky business and proper risk assessment and management are required to prevent anything like the Gulf oil spill. There is a great potential of using quality control and quality assurance methods. This means that the mistakes that were highlighted after the Gulf oil spill could have been identified before the incident actually happened had British Petroleum employed quality control methods. There were many things that could have been avoided.

In this context, it is important to state ...