Deepwater Horizon: a Bad Decision Leads to Worst Oil Spill in US History

By: Abbas

Have you ever in the position where the decision you make would affect million people’s
life? It must be terrifying if you have. A few weeks ago I watched Deepwater Horizon starred by
Mark Walhberg. It’s about 2010’s oil spill in Gulf of Mexico. Experts said that this one is the worst
oil spill in US History.
The story comes around Mike Williams, a technician at one of British Patroleum (BP) oil
rig in Gulf of Mexico. He and his boss, Jimmy Harrels just come to the rig when their learn that
“BP’s people”, Donald Vidrine and Robert Kaluza, told the workers to go home early without
conducting a certain procedures that could endangers spilling process.
Mike and Jimmy then confront these “BP People” and slash them for telling workers to go
home early without conducting a certain procedures. Jimmy even said “This may be your rig, but
I am responsible for safety of my people”. Meanwhile, Donald and Robert defence themselves by
saying that they have responsibility and deadline that they have to work with. And by conducting
the procedure, they will not make it to the deadline. What these people did is form of advocacy.
They are arguing and critising each others. They defend themselves from criticism which is not
solving the problem. After long ‘advocacy’, they reach an agreement by inquiry. They conducting
an alternative procedure called ‘negative test’. In the first attemp, the negative test was successful.
Then “BP People” advocacing themselves again and force the workers to run the second
test. They explain why the second test need to be run. In their explanation, they fell into a few
decision-making traps. First, they anchoring because the first test was succesful so there is
evidence that the rigging is safe; Second, they fell into sunk cost trap because they need to rig
the oil due to deadline that would led to deficit of incomes; Third, they framing because they
frame so the second test would let to sucessful test like the first one; and Fourth, they estimating
& forecasting because they estimating the second test would led to sucesfull test like the first one
and let them to rig the oil.
Fast forward, the rig is exploded. People was evacuated. But like any others Mark
Walhberg movies, there’s one scene where he is the hero. So this scene is when he and his collague
jump from on fire rig to open sea because they were left behind. But they have problems. First, if
they can’t jump far enough they would jump into fire. It’s not good. So what they did is set a well
defined criteria where they are not jump into fire. The criteria is they have to jump from a higher
place so they can jump further, and they did it well. Second problem is Mike’s collagues is afraid
and told Mike to left them alone. It’s of course a problem. So they dissent and debate about why
they should jump, involving how terrifying would be if the collagues left behind. Finally, what
made his collagues jump with him is told her to imagine, picturing good alternatives if she jump
with her. It’s form of multiple alternatives because she just imagine how terrifying things would
be if she jump.
Overall, I recommended this film because it is based on an actual event. A major event, if
I might, that consider as the worst oil spill in U.S history. It also make life of million’s people ruin
because the spill made billion dollars loss explicitly from U.S Government and implicitly to people
and environment. It happens because there are bad decision making and bad communication. If
“BP’s people” doesn’t fell into decision making traps, it could be avoided.
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