ARE THERE ANY POSSIBLE HEALTH RELATED RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH OFFSHORE PLATFORMS/OIL-RIGS?
Due to the harsh environments that can be encountered in the oceans – as well as the generally hazardous nature of the industry itself – accidents, injuries and deaths are unfortunately all too common. • In July 1988, nearly 170 people lost their lives when the Occidental Petroleum’s Piper Alpha offshore production platform – which was located on the Piper Field in the British sector of the North Sea – catastrophically exploded following a leak of gas. • Two years later, in March 1980, the “Flotel” (Floating Hotel) platform Alexander Kjelland capsized during a harsh storm in the North Sea: 123 lives were lost as a result. • In 2001, the Petrobras 36 platform exploded and killed 11 people in Brazil. • Within the United States, the oil and gas extraction industry has an average, yearly occupational fatality figure of 30 per 100,000 workers. To place things into their proper perspective, the above-figure is approximately eight-times higher than the average rate of occupational fatalities
