Deep Water: The Gulf Oil Disaster and the Future of Offshore Drilling
Gas alarms were disabled or inhibited to prevent false positives
The official investigation into the Deepwater Horizon disaster identified alarm system failures as contributing causes. The report documented how gas detection alarms were disabled or set to 'inhibited' mode due to false positive fatigue, how ambiguous alarms created interpretation disagreements, and how authority confusion and information silos prevented effective cascade response.
The report provides detailed documentation of organizational alarm system dysfunction, making it essential reading for crisis management design. Every failure mode identified - disabled alarms, ambiguous signals, authority confusion, cascade failure - directly informs the Prairie Dog Protocol framework.
Key Findings from Drilling (2011)
- Gas alarms were disabled or inhibited to prevent false positives
- Workers had grown accustomed to frequent false alarms
- Lack of clear authority and communication protocols delayed response
- Information didn't cascade faster than the threat