If the oil&gas industry is to succeed during current economic and climate difficulties, it is vital that it attracts well qualified and talented workers.
If growth is to be sustained then a new generation of younger people need to be encouraged to bring their enthusiasm and newly acquired knowledge into the industry.
For years, the numbers of students graduating in engineering in the UK has been falling, though there are signs of a reversal to that trend.
It means energy companies must work hard to offer attractive employment packages to tempt the creme de la creme of prospective skilled recruits.
Young people entering the industry are naturally concerned that their future employment will be both rewarding and challenging, and they also expect career development and travel opportunities. The cream of the crop will be in a position to demand that, among other benefit packages, their health and wellbeing will be cared for at a high level.
Currently, individuals working in the North Sea are routinely given medical assessments to make sure they are fit for the work and conditions in which they are employed. Health surveillance is carried out to ensure that their health is not adversely affected by any risks in their working environment.
In addition, many employers take part in health-promotion initiatives that are an effective way to inform and educate a workforce on how to improve and maintain good health and wellbeing.
For those based offshore, 24/7 medical support and advice is provided by qualified, trained medics who have immediate access to medical advice from on-call “topside doctors”.
Minor illness and injury can usually be treated offshore, but when a more serious problem arises, urgent evacuation – known as a medevac – can be carried out to transfer a patient onshore to access the very best medical care as soon as possible.
The oil&gas industry is, by nature, highly international, and heritage North Sea personnel can now be found all over the world from the Middle East to West Africa. An increasing number of the next generation of oil workers will, in any case, have to consider working abroad as North Sea supplies diminish.
The notion of international travel may initially seem exciting, but with time and experience, workers find themselves looking for more than exotic locations.
They want reassurance that their personal security will be safeguarded and that the health needs of themselves and their families will be catered for.
Those workers based overseas will expect the same level of healthcare as they received when working closer to home.
Internationally based workers will need the reassurance of a fully comprehensive travel health service so that they have up-to-date travel vaccinations and have plenty of practical advice on what steps they can take to reduce the chances of illness abroad.
Similarly, on their return home, they need to be fully aware of “after travel” healthcare, which is particularly important for those working in malarial areas. A battery of tests can screen for asymptomatic tropical infections that may have inadvertently been picked up while abroad.
If you are working far from home in developing countries, you need to be confident that if you are taken ill or are involved in an accident that you will be transported to a hospital or medical facility that has all the facilities and hygiene necessary for you to receive the best care possible.
Global medical repatriation needs to be in place for just such an occasion so that you can get to a suitable medical facility quickly and safely.
If you are in need of surgery or specialist treatment, you want to know that a medically equipped plane will swoop down and carry you off to where you need to be, and quickly.
If the very worst happens and you are involved in a serious accident or traumatic incident, you want to know that counselling will be available at a time when you need it and that the person you are talking to understands the business and its people and talks the same “industry language” as you do.
Anyone new to the industry will want to be assured that their health needs are taken care of whether they are working in the North Sea, the Gulf of Mexico or the Caspian Sea.
Companies which look after their staff and provide excellent career development and healthcare packages are far more likely to suffer less from workforce shortages. They will have what it takes to both recruit and retain a highly skilled workforce.
Having a first-rate and loyal workforce will always provide the “companies of choice” with that vital edge over their competitors.
Dr Elizabeth Wright is director/senior consultant occupational physician at Abermed, a leading provider of occupational healthcare and industrial medical services. For further information, visit www.abermed.com
