Safety systems were bypassed, rig worker says
Reporting from Kenner, La., and Los Angeles —
Key safety systems were bypassed or disabled on the doomed Deepwater Horizon drilling rig — some for months or years — a top technician on the vessel testified Friday, as offshore cleanup crews hurried toward port ahead of a tropical storm system.
In testimony in the third round of investigative hearings in Louisiana, a rig technician described an operation in which alarm systems and safety devices were turned off, computers didn’t work and maintenance was long overdue.
“The rig was in very bad condition,” said Mike Williams, a chief electronics technician who worked for rig owner Transocean Ltd. aboard the Deepwater Horizon.
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