Some 60 investigators from the former Minerals Management Service tried to deal with 12,087 oil-related incidents in the gulf reported over the past five years. Those incidents included 30 worker deaths, 1,298 injuries, 514 fires and 23 blowouts that left wells out of control. The investigations were spotty -- few resulted in big fines, and MMS let some companies investigate themselves.

Marc Kaufman, Carol D. Leonnig, and David Hilzenrath report for the Washington Post July 18, 2010. [2]