In the wake of one of the worst oil spills since the Exxon-Valdez disaster, a massive investigation into the underlying cause of the Deepwater tragedy Horizon has begun. Many people wonder if this is a case of poor engineering, corporate greed, negligence, or even simple operator failure. Whatever the cause, crude oil is beginning to reach U.S. shores and no guaranteed solution to the leak is in sight. In today's technologically advanced world, when a disaster like this occurs, it is the responsibility of those involved to do what is ethically right and act immediately with all available resources without "pointing with the finger.” Yale University sociologist Charles Perrow believes that some accidents are “normal accidents – accidents that are built into the system.” He argues that modern technologies are so complex that they “can never be accident-free, because safety devices and other components interact in ways too varied for designers and operators to predict” (Miller, 1999 ). Perrow concludes that by making technology more secure, we are inherently more comfortable with it and ignore unpredictable failures built into the system. This leads to the belief that some disasters, like the Deepwater Horizon incident, cannot occur, leaving us unprepared for safety system failures. As a global company, British Petroleum is responsible for all consequences of its presence in Gulf waters. While it is still too early to determine the cause of the failure, one can only wonder why the platform is still leaking at an estimated rate of 5,000 barrels per day, when BP promised it could handle a spill of 250,000 barrels per day in order to be allowed to break through in the middle of paper...... l. Retrieved May 12, 2010 from the Christian Science Monitor: http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2010/0511/Blame-game-ensues-as-executives-testify-on-cause-of-BP- oil spillGuarino , M. and Spotts, PN (May 10, 2010). Environmental impact of the oil spill in the Gulf: how long to recover? Retrieved May 13, 2010 from the Christian Science Monitor: http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2010/0510/Gulf-oil-spill-s-environmental-impact-How-long-to-recover/(page)/ 2Miller, DW (1999, October). Sociology, not engineering, can explain our vulnerability to technological disasters. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Snow, N. (May 13, 2010). The House of Representatives panel hearing on the Gulf oil spill focused on the balance of payments. Retrieved May 13, 2010 from OIL & GAS Journal: http://www.ogj.com/index/article-display/1866480865/articles/oil-gas-journal/general-interest-2/government/2010/05/us -house_panel_s_hearing.html