The recent BP/TransOcean/Halliburton Deepwater Horizon explosion has caused quite a fracas. Because of the resulting White House moratorium on deep water drilling, its impact on offshore oil jobs has received a lot of press. In reality, its negative effect is not likely to last very long.
Why not? Because summer is here, and Americans need oil to make the electricity that powers their air-conditioners. In other words, the current loss of offshore oil rig jobs is just a temporary blip. Drilling in the Gulf will continue (almost) as usual once the 6-month ban imposed by the White House ends. The Deepwater Horizon will be replaced, one way or another. Hiring for oil gas jobs will resume as usual.
The question is: Will you be there earning the big bucks working on an offshore oil platform? As the Deepwater Horizon explosion showed, offshore oil rigs work is far from safe. That is why they pay double the going rate of jobs in other industries. (The rate is actually much better for scaffolders: The construction industry only pays $5 to $7 per hour while the oil industry pays nearly $60,000 per year).
Frankly, while the risk of a major fire and explosion on an oil rig is scary, this is a pretty major disaster that has not happened often. Besides this disaster in the Gulf (with 11 fatalities), there have only been two other oil rig disasters recorded: the Bombay High North in 2005 (with 22 fatalities) and the Usumacinta in 2007 (with 22 fatalities).
What is more frightening than fire is the nature of the work on an offshore oil platform. You need to work in both fair weather and foul weather, and may need to work night shifts as well. The work is difficult and involves a lot of heavy lifting and dangerous equipment. This is the type of environment that causes a lot of industrial accidents and injuries. It is the reason why there is continuous hiring for offshore oil jobs – to replace losses from injured workers. Do you have the guts for this?
“No problem,” you say. “It’s the typical factory environment.” True, up to a point. But in the factory, you never need to work exposed to the rain and wind. In the factory, the heavy machinery and other equipment are sheltered, and so are you. On an offshore oil rig, you will work in wind and rain, on board a pile of creaking, shaking, pile of metal. The footing will be slick with oil and with water, and there is the risk that strong winds may blow you off the platform into the water a hundred feet below if you are not careful. When you work at night, you need to watch your footing, otherwise you may go tumbling down a staircase and break your bones. Do you have the guts for this?
Many people say they do, when they quit their jobs in the factories or construction yards to work in offshore oil rig jobs. But of these, not so many stay on in the end. They find that they do not have enough guts to work in this kind of environment. This job can be scary, and the constant reminders of the risk of fires and explosions only add to the pressure.
Tags: offshore oil platform, offshore oil rig, offshore oil rig jobs, oil rig disasters, oil rig jobs