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My dad started working in the oil field after he returned home from Vietnam. He has happily devoted his life to a dangerous and physically corroding job that takes him away for 16 days and only allows him to see home for 12 days. The physical labor takes a great toll on the body after long hours of hard labor in what ever weather element the day brings. Most of the work is outside in the elements and it doesn't matter if it's 110 degrees or 10 bellow, the work still has to get done. A normal work week for an offshore worker is 84 hours. My 58 year old dad often has to stay up over 48 hrs when something is not working correctly on the rig. Sleep only comes when whatever is broken gets repaired. They don't get to go home and start over on it the next day- much less go to sleep. There's a joke among roughnecks, “you will see someone roughnecking in their 20s, you may even see some fool doing it in their 30's, but if you see an idiot doing it in their 40's, call the morgue.”
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Many people do not know the dangers an oil filed worker faces each hitch. Before an oil field worker ever makes it to the rig they have to survive a helicopter and/or boat ride. There is always a danger from exhaustion from the long hours. Heavy machinery can maim or kill you if your concentration is lost for even a moment.
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Workers are at risk of falls from catwalk and tower heights of over 90 feet. Then the explosive nature of oil rig itself. Explosions and fires can result in death or severe burns. Simple built up pressure in a pipe can cause it to fly through the air at rocket launcher speeds. If a worker falls overboard, they can die of hypothermia within minutes. Steel cables are thick and spooled so tightly that one mechanical malfunction or human err can slice a man in half. Rain, snow, and waves all take a toll on the offshore worker.
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The fatality rate for oil and gas workers in the U.S. between 2002 and 2007 was more than 29 deaths per 100,000 workers, or about seven times the average for all occupations, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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The oil companies do invest a lot of money into safety and accident prevention. My dad is constantly having to use his time at home to attend safety classes. He even has to keep a current CPR certification. Many companies offer safety rewards for accident free employees. However, due to the growing demand for oil and the public pressure on oil companies, safety is often overlooked as the companies push rigs to produce.
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Oil companies are also hiring less experience and non English speaking workers. The above hazards are exacerbated by the rampant use of methamphetamine. Workers use the drug to keep up with the long work hours. OSHA and other agencies are simply not properly enforcing safety when it comes to oil companies. Most of the offshore oil rig deaths that occurred in 2007 were fined, but nearly all were latter reduced by at least half.
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This brings me to the heart of my article. When Hurricanes come into the gulf the oil companies shut down offshore oil rigs and bring their workers back to land. Hurricane Gustav was no exception. Oil rigs were shut down for three or four days and time is money in the oil business. They often push workers to the point that they stray from safety regulations in order to expediently get the rig back in production. After Gustav passed, my dad returned to his offshore rig to find the rig crippled and in shambles. Instructions were given to get the rig back up and running. That means you don't sleep until that rig is back up. The rig was being powered by a generator when he arrived. My dad and the other crew members go to work repairing the rig. Within the first hour of their arrival the generator quits and it is not repairable. They are cut off from the world, in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico, and have no power . There is no food on the rig since all the food was discarded before the hurricane. They radio to inform land, but it takes them 3 days by helicopter to arrive with the food and supplies. Meanwhile, my dad and his crew are still working in the dark with flashlights and hand tools to repair the damaged rig.
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I was so angry and upset by this. My dad has given everything he has to the oil industry. He has risked life and limb for them and they treat his life with such little regard. They should have never sent him, nor anyone else, out there without the appropriate supplies.
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I just ask that we remember that there are people behind the scenes of big oil. These men are on oil rigs giving it everything they have while we are complaining about gas prices and lack of oil production after natural disasters. You aren't pushing the oil companies CEO's that sit behind a safe desk. You are pushing the oil field workers that are giving it their all, despite the elements and hazards.
Thank you all for reading. I love ya pop!
