In the mid-1970s, the first British oil was brought onshore and, within 10 years, there were more than 100 installations in the North Sea. Technology has evolved over the decades, allowing companies to drill deeper and deeper under the sea to harvest oil from reserves that were considered to be exhausted
Along with new technology, healthcare for offshore workers has also evolved from its early patchy standards to today’s comprehensive health and safety-driven approach.
Back in those early days, there no legal standards of healthcare and it was left to companies to provide unregulated support.
Thirty years ago, some companies provided nurses on installations, but on others, care was left to basic first-aiders.
There was precious little quality control in place and no specialist training for offshore healthcare workers. Almost anyone could call themselves a medic and work on an installation.
Today, we would be aghast at the thought of an unqualified individual carrying out medical examinations or issuing drugs.
Some installations did not even have a doctor on call to back up decisions made by medics. Of course, there were some excellent nursing staff working hard to provide effective healthcare, but they were ungoverned by legal strictures and had awesome medical responsibilities with very little expert backing.
After the Piper Alpha disaster in 1988, everything changed. The Offshore Installations (Safety Case) Regulations 1992 followed Lord Cullen’s inquiry and offshore health-and-safety improvements quickly came into practice.
The Offshore Installations and Pipeline Works (First-Aid) Regulations came into force in 1989 and installations were now required to have suitable medical and first-aid facilities.
First-aiders and medics were to be properly trained and regulated.
Offshore medics were to be responsible for an installation’s sick bay and ensure that necessary equipment and drug supplies were provided.
The medic would have supervision from a registered medical practitioner, who could give advice if required. The medical practitioner would generally be based onshore, but would be available to give support.
In 1997, Diving at Work Regulations were introduced that required a diving contractor to provide medical and first-aid equipment when undertaking diving projects.
The Department of Trade and Industry was no longer in control of health and safety and accountability was passed to the HSE (Health and Safety Executive).
The HSE’s offshore division took over responsibility for regulating risks to health and safety and drew up controls to govern exactly who could be employed as a medic, as well as setting down what training and qualifications they would need.
Today, there are prerequisites laid down for anyone who is considering a career as an offshore medic. You will need to either be a fully qualified RGN or to have worked as a medic in the armed forces. You will also need to have completed a medic’s course organised by a recognised training establishment.
New technology has enabled the use of distance learning for medics, but quality has not been compromised and assessment is thorough.
Medics keep detailed logs of the work they carry out and are carefully assessed to ensure that standards are maintained. Throughout their careers, they are encouraged to take further courses to expand their medical knowledge and make sure that they are familiar with new medical developments.
This is a far cry from those early days back in the 1970s, when offshore workers had to depend on unregulated medics and trust that their employers had healthcare high on their list of priorities.
Today’s new technologies, such as telemedicine, have helped this profession enormously. However, the simplest tool can often be the most effective.
For example, a phone consultation between a skilled medic who can accurately describe symptoms and a doctor well versed in offshore occupational healthcare will result in precise diagnosis and decision-making.
An expert medic and doctor working in harmony can decide whether a worker needs to be medevaced from an installation and taken by helicopter to hospital for treatment or if treatment can be provided onsite.
So the modern medic is by no means a glorified first-aider – they are highly trained professionals who not only offer medical support, but are trusted and accessible health advisers.
Today, statistics regarding employees’ health promotion and health surveillance can be accessed by a few mouse clicks. ECG screening can be carried out and results sent instantaneously to a cardiologist for interpretation.
Offshore medics can use the internet for distance learning to maintain and update their knowledge base. New technologies are constantly being introduced that help to safeguard offshore health.
Whatever innovative medical developments are introduced in 2010 and beyond, first-class training and rigorous assessment procedures will always be key to providing the medical support that those working offshore so richly deserve.
Dr Alison Carroll is medical director, oil&gas industry, at Abermed
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