OFFSHORE MEDICAL SUPPORT

Medical support in the Offshore Industry is in a class of its own, as ancillary medical staff must make a diagnosis, perform minor surgery and treat patients without senior cover immediately available. In addition, support grade staff are expected to act as personnel officer, administrator and, with some companies, Safety Officer, Helicopter Landing Officer, and storeman. Support staff are trained in survival and rescue at sea, possess specialised knowledge of hypothermia, public health, psychiatric care, management of dental emergencies and administration of the Sick Parade. They are expected to know the Platform Medical Emergency Plan for multi- casualty situations and to advise on all aspects of food-handling and hygiene.

They are also briefed, before they depart, on the company’s individual emergency procedures and the role of Medical Advice Agencies on-shore, who can provide them with medical advice by radio telephone 24 hours a day. They will be skilled in radio-telegraphy/telecommunications.

Support staff are in the main ex-service personnel, including RGNs, SENs, Leading Medical Assistants, Royal Navy and Combat Medical Technicians and Royal Army Medical Corpmens. Some also have Special Services experience. These professionals would have had intensive training in emergency medical procedures including intubation and infusion in addition to the three year training to the RGN, SEN, LMA or CMT grade. All have a minimum of six years service together with an exemplary Military Conduct Record.

MANDATORY TRAINING

Medical staff wishing to enter this field need to obtain the following certification:

AGENCIES SETTING GUIDE LINES IN THE OFFSHORE INDUSTRY

Advisory Committees on Telecommunications

Offshore Energy Technology Board (OETB) Oil and Gas Projects and Supplies Office, 45 Waterloo St, Glasgow G2 6AS Telephone: 0141 228 3658

Offshore Industry Liaison Committee (OILCO) 45 Waterloo St., Glasgow G2 6AS Telephone: 0141 2283658

RGIT Ltd.Formerly Robert Gordon Institute of Technology of Aberdeen University.

PETANS Ltd.Petroleum Training Association (North Sea)

Lowestoft College of Further Education Department of Nautical Science, Seamanship Centre

Offshore Safety Research Programme Committee Established in 1992 to replace the Offshore Safety and Technology Board to consider projects on offshore safety and whether they should proceed.

Offshore Safety Research Strategy Board (RSB) Established in 1992, the board replaced the Offshore Safety and Technology Board. It consists of 16 members who are appointed on the invitation of the Chairman and they are selected for their knowledge of, or responsibility for, offshore safety and research matters. Trade Union representation is included on the board. They are to protect the health, safety and welfare of persons on offshore installations or engaged on pipeline works and others who may be affected by these operations.

Within this remit the terms of reference for the RSB are to:-

Oil Industry Advisory Committee (OIAC) Chairman :- Mark Addison Secretary Mrs Rosemary Banner. Set up in August 1978 by the Health and Safety Commission. The Committee consists of a chairman and 16 members; 8 representatives of the Confederation of British Industry and 8 representatives of the Trades Union Congress. They are to consider and advise the Health and Safety Commission on:-

Advisory Committee on Toxic Substances (ACTS) Chairman Miss J Bacon Secretary Dr L Derrick. Set up in January 1977 by the Health and Safety Commission The Committee sits under the chairmanship of a staff member of the Health and Safety executive, and consists at up to 15 members, including 4 members each nominated by the Confederation of British Industry and the Trades Union Congress, one by the Association of District Councils, one by the Association of Metropolitan Authorities. and five independent experts nominated by the Health and Safety Executive. To consider and advise the Commission on methods of preventing or controlling risks to health from the use at work of toxic substances within the scope of the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health regulations 1989; to consider and advise an other associated matters referred to it by the Health and Safety Commission or the Health and Safety Executive.

Advisory Committees on Telecommunications Under the Telecommunications Act 1984 an independent body known as the Office at Telecommunications (OFTEL) was set up to monitor and regulate telecommunications in the UK.

Offshore Energy Technology Board (OETB) Chairman, David Watson Secretary; John Foot Set up in May 1975 by the Secretary of State for Energy. when it was decided that the Department of Energy should take over responsibility for defining its research and development programmes in the field of offshore oil and gas which had previously been controlled by the Ship and Marine Technology Requirements Board. The Board was reconstituted in 1985 with the Minister of State for Energy as chairman; its 21 members include leading figures from the oil industry. academia, and Government departments

The Board has a current programme focused around five areas of technology; advances in subsea production; advanced technology for underwater operations such as cleaning inspection and maintenance; drilling and production; developing new exploration techniques; reservoir appraisal and management.

Offshore Industry Liaison Committee (OILCO) Chairman, T Eggar, MP Secretary’ K Mayo. Set up in 1976 by the Minister of State, Department of Energy, as a voluntary liaison committee between government, oil companies, contractors and trade unions. The Committee consists of a chairman, secretary and representatives of relevant government departments, of oil companies, of suppliers or contractors, their trade associations and of trade unions. The Committee was set up to examine ways of assisting the UK offshore supplies industry to maximise its share of orders for goods and services for the UK continental shelf and world wide. The full terms of reference are:-