Chevron CEO Reportedly Warned Of Near-Fatal Safety Risks Weeks Before Angola Fire

Chevron CEO Mike Wirth reportedly warned employees of a rise in serious safety incidents just weeks before a fire broke out on one of the company’s oil platforms in Angola, killing three workers and injuring 15 others.

According to a Reuters report, in an internal video message dated April 29 and titled ‘Do it safely or not at all,’ Wirth told staff that the company had seen “a concerning increase in serious near-misses, especially over the last few weeks.” 

He added that some of these events could have resulted in fatalities.

Wirth urged employees not to hesitate to stop work when they see unsafe conditions, pushing back on internal perceptions that speaking up could be viewed negatively.

“I learned some people feel that speaking up and stopping work is risky in the current environment. It is not,” he said. “We’ve got to stay focused on doing our work the right way, no matter what challenges we face.”

He acknowledged broader pressures both inside the company and in the external environment. “There’s a lot going on right now, with changes underway both inside the company and in the world around us,” Wirth said.

Chevron said the comments were part of a broader effort to reinforce its safety culture. “Preventing fatalities and serious incidents is our top priority,” a company spokesperson told Reuters.

On May 20, a fire broke out on a Chevron-operated deepwater platform roughly 60 miles off Angola’s coast. Three workers died, and more than a dozen others were injured. The company is still investigating the cause of the incident.

Clay Neff, Chevron’s recently appointed president of upstream operations, stated that some of the injured workers are still undergoing treatment and that further details are expected in the coming weeks, as noted in a separate message to staff on May 30, seen by Reuters. 

Chevron’s stock is down more than 3% this year and over 9% in the last 12 months. 

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