A call was today made to ensure health does not become the “poor relation” in health and safety.
Chief operating officer Simon Seaton – who is speaking at the Piper 25 conference in Aberdeen tomorrow – said more needs to be done to address the needs of an evolving workforce.
“We can’t risk health becoming the poor relation in health and safety,” he said. “There’s a huge emphasis on the safety side of the discussion, rightly so. But operators need to recognise that health plays an equally important role and has never been more relevant to our industry than it is now. If we fail to recognise its importance as an industry we risk compounding the matter.”
The call comes after the P&J revealed overweight workers at two major North Sea firms had been asked to go on a diet.
Mr Seaton, who heads caterer Sodexo’s North Sea “remote sites”, said: “Research and data show that the industry needs more comprehensive solutions to tackle obesity and poor health as well as improve workers’ overall wellness and wellbeing. Improving diet alone is not always sufficient.”
Sodexo teamed up with Aberdeen University to develop Well Track, a healthy lifestyle programme for offshore workers. It provides participants and their families with an incentive-based programme where they are encouraged by coaches and rewarded for healthier lifestyles at work and on leave.
A year-long pilot cut male participants’ blood pressure from 32% to 15%, and the number of workers rating their health as excellent or very good rose from 16% to 55%.
Mr Seaton said: “The emerging workforce values a healthy lifestyle, not just in terms of size but in an overarching holistic way as well.
“But it needs to be a two-pronged approach. We can’t just be concerned about what they do offshore. We need to offer them support onshore as well to maintain momentum.”
The programme, now available to all Sodexo clients in the North Sea, also saw a reduction in the number of “obese” or “overweight” participants.
“Research tells us healthier workers are more focused and more committed to their organisation,” said Mr Seaton, who has more than 20 years’ experience in oil field services.
“Much like you would invest in the equipment and offshore installations to ensure their longevity and efficiency, we must invest in our workforce’s quality of life.”
Research shows health and wellness issues cost a typical production platform a massive £5.7million each year
A 2005 survey found that 64% of 1,928 workers on 31 installations on the UK Continental Shelf were either overweight or obese, 32% were smokers and 34% admitted drinking more than the recommended alcohol units when onshore.
Also in 2005, the Civil Aviation Authority increased the weight allocation for each helicopter passenger, from 14st to 15st 6lb – a jump of 20lb – after research indicated waistlines were increasing.
Mr Seaton will be speaking at the Oil and Gas UK’s Piper 25 conference, which starts tomorrow.
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