ALL OVER the world, energy companies place emphasis on their community relationships.

They exercise corporate social responsibility, provide employment, and devote substantial resources to uplifting and giving back to societies they operate in.

So it is surprising that, having been around for decades now in various incarnations, officials at state-owned Paria Fuel Trading Company last year failed to provide the kind of basic courtesies one would expect to the families of those affected by last year's diving tragedy.

The ongoing commission of enquiry into that tragedy has this week brought to the fore another dimension of the myriad gaps within the company's systems, policies and procedures when it comes to dealing with such events.

It has painted a picture of a corporate culture at odds with the most fundamental human imperatives.

Thus far, the enquiry has heard much evidence which suggests the company lacked robust enough systems to deal with these types of events.

The use of contractors has raised predictable questions of ultimate responsibility for operations but in the process underlined a separate set of deficiencies as it relates to how the company worked with hired expertise.

Alarmingly, even though the company is a going concern, it seems there is still a lot to be desired when it comes to the issue of whether substantial changes have occurred in the wake of this incident. It is a legitimate question to ask, even at this stage, whether any lessons have really been learned.

This country has been involved in the oil and gas sector for decades. It is therefore amazing that the proceedings have painted a picture of a company that was ill-prepared for the kinds of possibilities that became realities on February 25.

Clear limitations hampered Paria's ability to anticipate and prevent worse-case scenarios and then deal with the fallout of such scenarios in a manner that inspired confidence.

This extends to the treatment of the families and relations of those who were directly involved, who were given the runaround or else left without basic information about their loved ones.

At the same time, it seems clear that some company officials agonised over how best to manage a range of interests in the wake of the incident.

However, references to the possible use of non-disclosure agreements for key individuals points to a concern about legal liability that does not mesh well with the overriding moral issues generated by the albeit extraordinary set of circumstances involved.

Meanwhile, there is no doubt the commission must, per its terms of reference, in its final report make recommendations deemed necessary in the circumstances and must probe the role played by Paria and its agents.

That plainly includes how it treated - and continues to treat - the families of the deceased.

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