Two months into the massive oil spill sparked by an explosion that killed 11 people and sank BP's Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, the oil giant's safety record is coming under increasing scrutiny.

US legislators detailed a long list of criticisms against the British energy firm as they grilled Tony Hayward, its CEO, in a series of congressional hearings this week.

And, this is not the first time a senior BP executive has had to publicly answer for the company's safety record.

Last year the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration found hundreds of violations at BP's refinery in Texas City, in the US.

Al Jazeera's Cath Turner reports.