Logic suggests that the present performance of a company is a good indicator of its potential future impact. Nowhere is this clearer than in the area of employee safety.

Employees are closest to a company's business activities and therefore, usually the first to experience any negative effects caused by such operations. If a company is not hurting its employees, it is also very likely not hurting its neighbors or the environment.

With this in mind, consider that the overall safety performance of Occidental Petroleum is one of the best in the oil and gas and chemical industries.