>>512339341
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The Titan submersible disaster could have been prevented, the U.S. Coast Guard said in a report Tuesday that held OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush responsible for ignoring safety warnings, design flaws and crucial oversight which, had he survived, may have resulted in criminal charges.
The Coast Guard determined that safety procedures at OceanGate, a private company based in Washington state, were “critically flawed” and found “glaring disparities” between safety protocols and actual practices.
Investigators pointed to a culture at OceanGate of downplaying, ignoring and even falsifying key safety information to improve its reputation and evade scrutiny from regulators.
The company ignored “red flags” and had a “toxic workplace culture,” with firings of senior staff and the looming threat of dismissal used to dissuade employees and contractors from expressing safety concerns.
Rush, a former flight test engineer for fighter jets, founded the company in 2009 after years of experience in aerospace and aviation.
The Marine Board concluded that Rush had an “escalating disregard for established safety protocols,” which contributed to the deaths. If Rush were alive, the board would have passed the case to the U.S. Department of Justice and he may have faced criminal charges, it said.
