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The Crash of Cougar Flight 491: A Case Study of Offshore Safety and Corporate Social Responsibility

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  • Susan Hart

Abstract

On March 12, 2009, a Sikorsky S-92A helicopter travelling to two offshore oil installations crashed into the sea about 55 km away from the coastal city of St. John’s in Newfoundland and Labrador (NL), Canada. It sank quickly with the loss of 17 lives. There was one survivor. The article examines the circumstances of the crash to assess the effectiveness of an instrumental, business case for safety and, by extension, for corporate social responsibility (CSR). The article fills a gap in the business and the management literature by adopting a qualitative, case study methodology to complement earlier, predominantly quantitative research. The study analyzes a comprehensive set of documentary data available from the offshore regulator’s public inquiry website, including many days of verbatim testimony from the industry, the union, regulators, investigators, the lone survivor and families of the deceased, in addition to written submissions and expert reports. Investigatory reports from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada and the NL Inquiry were analyzed, as were regulatory documents and media coverage. Although offshore safety has improved since the Ocean Ranger disaster in 1982 (Wells http://www.cnlopb.nl.ca/ohsi_phase_one.shtml , 2010 ), the empirical evidence in this case study adds to our understanding of how reliance on a voluntary, instrumental business case for CSR in the absence of a normative concept of CSR is likely to fail, largely because of the existence of a powerful tension between oil exploration and production and investment in safety. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2013

Suggested Citation

  • Susan Hart, 2013. "The Crash of Cougar Flight 491: A Case Study of Offshore Safety and Corporate Social Responsibility," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 113(3), pages 519-541, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jbuset:v:113:y:2013:i:3:p:519-541
    DOI: 10.1007/s10551-012-1320-8
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Lucio Lamberti & Emanuele Lettieri, 2009. "CSR Practices and Corporate Strategy: Evidence from a Longitudinal Case Study," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 87(2), pages 153-168, June.
    2. Pamela Robinson, 2010. "Responsible Retailing: The Practice of CSR in Banana Plantations in Costa Rica," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 91(2), pages 279-289, February.
    3. Andy Lockett & Jeremy Moon & Wayne Visser, 2006. "Corporate Social Responsibility in Management Research: Focus, Nature, Salience and Sources of Influence," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 43(1), pages 115-136, January.
    4. Abagail McWilliams & Donald S. Siegel & Patrick M. Wright, 2006. "Corporate Social Responsibility: Strategic Implications," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 43(1), pages 1-18, January.
    5. Thomas Laudal, 2010. "An Attempt to Determine the CSR Potential of the International Clothing Business," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 96(1), pages 63-77, September.
    6. Bryan W. Husted & José De Jesus Salazar, 2006. "Taking Friedman Seriously: Maximizing Profits and Social Performance," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 43(1), pages 75-91, January.
    7. Susan Hart, 2010. "Self-regulation, Corporate Social Responsibility, and the Business Case: Do they Work in Achieving Workplace Equality and Safety?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 92(4), pages 585-600, April.
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