Patty Murray

Nothing--absolutely nothing--is more important to you than workplace safety.

I would suggest that the rest of the industry actively tell BP how it feels to be sitting there.

The families of the 11 workers who lost their lives deserve to have factual information.

What can OSHA do right now to make sure that executives and managers fix those serious safety violations company-wide?

Do you think that BP ought to come to the table on this?

I know it's a community that very much supports the refinery; it is the lifeblood of that community.

These workers and their families deserve to understand what went wrong.

Let's be clear. Despite what anyone tries to say, this is not a safe industry.

So, is it safe to say that workers are going to work in unsafe conditions, simply because something's being contested and somebody's deciding, somewhere?

Say that for us once more, because I think it's really important to understand.

And I just would mention the issue with the contractors being cited separately is probably why we saw the report that Deepwater Horizon had a group of BP executives on board celebrating the crew's safety achievements on the day when the…

You don't.

What new powers would you recommend OSHA to have to force some of these companies to take these problems seriously throughout their entire facility, not just at the one?

Many workers believe their ability to safely shut down production has been diminished by staff reductions and the deterioration of the valves used to isolate production.

I find it fairly outrageous that, even after an accident that killed 11 workers, BP is not putting a high enough priority on worker safety.

Workplaces in the United States of America in 2010 should not be inherently dangerous.

I am horrified and outraged at the continued devastation that we see in the Gulf Coast.

Every single worker deserves to feel confident that, while they are working hard and doing their jobs, their employers are doing everything possible to keep them safe.

I am delighted to be here today and honored to give her my highest recommendation, because I really believe she is going to excel as Chair of the NIGC.

We have really got to focus on quality control of programs that are known to work.

I come to this not just as a U.S. Senator, but as a mom who put my kids through school.

Whenever we have this discussion about assessments, we get back to are we going to have a test that we hand these kids, and if they pass, then the teacher is doing well?

Quality is what the adults do with kids.

But, people are looking whether you have a backlog or not.

So, is there something we can do to change it so that this is taken seriously by mine operators?