The North Sea Offshore Oil Rigs Provides Employment For Many
It is important to remember that the offshore oil and gas industry provides employment opportunities for several thousand people. There are nearly 16,000 people who are currently working in offshore oil rigs. The offshore oil rigs play an important role in providing a livelihood for the workers and their families.
As stated by Les Linklater of the Helicopter Safety Steering Group (HSSG) in a recent news item, “Four people tragically lost their lives… However there are almost 16,000 people offshore currently…there are 250 people who have spent more than 21 days offshore.”
Grounding Of Helicopters
The announcement of the grounding of helicopters due to the helicopter crash is bound to have an adverse impact on the offshore oil rigging operations. In a recent news article published in the Scottish Express, Total E&P UK managing director Philippe Guys expressed concerns over the implications of the grounding of the helicopters.
He said, “We will have to get people offshore in a more costly way, but cost isn’t a consideration. Safety is the priority. Do we have to stop some of the operations offshore as we can’t get people to work? We hope we won’t have to shut down anything, but we may have to reduce work.”
The oil and gas companies will need to consider alternate means of transporting workers to and from oil rigs safely which may lead to increased costs. This increase in expenditure in running oil drilling operations can force oil and gas companies to either shut down their operations or reduce the scale of operations.
Safety Of Oil Rig Workers – A Major Concern
The grounding of helicopters seems to be a knee-jerk reaction. The oil and gas industry needs to take appropriate steps to ensure the safety of employees while transporting them to and from oil rigs as well as their safety at the oil rigs. The oil and gas companies should conduct training for the workers to follow all safety guidelines and be aware of the steps to be taken in case of an emergency situation. This will help reduce the number of incidents and even help prevent any serious accidents from taking place at the oil rigs. There is a lot of demand for well paying onshore jobs rather than offshore oil rig jobs. This can be attributed to improved working conditions and better safety experienced by workers at onshore oil rigs.
Study Repercussions Of An Action
A single incident should not hamper the oil drilling activities in the North Sea. Authorities should make decisions with careful thought and study the repercussions before taking strong action. Several thousand people depend on these rigs for their livelihood. The recent helicopter crash off the Shetlands in the North Sea is no doubt a tragic event. A thorough investigation into the cause of the crash needs to be done and appropriate action needs to be taken by authorities. The safety and security of oil rig workers should not be compromised at any cost. However, this incident should not hamper the oil drilling operations due to the increase in expenses for safe transportation of workers.