offshore Injury’
Was BP Report Truly Independent?
Friday, September 10th, 2010
BP has insisted that its investigation into the Deepwater Horizon explosion was independent, and was carried out without any interference from the company’s top management. However, the Wall Street Journal is reporting that company lawyers were allowed to go through the report before it was released. BP doesn't deny that the report was given a once over by its lawyers. According to the company, its attorneys provided legal advice, although BP isn't going into the specifics of the advice. It is also not confirming whether the attorneys suggested or made any changes to the report before it...
Common Symptoms of Neck Injuries among Offshore Workers
Friday, September 3rd, 2010
An offshore or maritime worker may be more susceptible to neck injuries because of the rigors of the workplace. Some workers like maintenance workers, or deckhands involved in cleaning or painting a vessel, may be at a higher risk of suffering a neck injury because of the strain on the neck muscles.
A neck injury isn't always as obvious as say, a head injury. There may be no visible signs of injury from the outside, and very often, the symptoms are very similar to those seen in other kinds of injuries like back injuries. This means that misdiagnosis...
UK Health Agency Reports Increase in Offshore Injuries
Tuesday, August 24th, 2010
As we deal with the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon explosion off US waters, it somehow feels worse to learn that offshore workers are not much safer on the other side of the pond either. Britain's Health and Safety Executive is pulling up the offshore oil and gas industry for an increasing number of injuries and fatalities. According to the agency, there has been an increase in major injuries and fatalities and unplanned hydrocarbon releases.
According to the figures released by the Health and Safety Executive, there were 50 major offshore injuries reported in 2009-2010. That was an...
BP to Provide $52 Million in Funding Towards Mental Health Outreach Programs in Gulf Coast States
Wednesday, August 18th, 2010
Last week, a study confirmed the depth of mental health and stress among residents of the Gulf Coast. Approximately 2/3rd of parents in the study admitted that their children were showing symptoms of mental stress since the oil spill. The children were having trouble sleeping, had severe skin rashes from the stress, and suffered from respiratory problems.
The magnitude of the mental health crisis that is still simmering below the surface in the Gulf Coast states, has been the white elephant in the room that BP has refused to address thus far. The company has chosen to remain...
Fire on Board Louisiana Flotel Housing BP Cleanup Workers
Sunday, July 25th, 2010
A small fire broke out on a flotel on Baptiste Collette Bayou in Plaquemines Parish in Louisiana. The fire broke out in the mess of the flotel, and at least five workers suffered minor injuries. Most of the injuries were related to smoke inhalation. It's not clear yet whether the workers who were injured, were employees of BP, or the contractors in the oil cleanup efforts.
Meanwhile, fishermen who had been brought in to help with cleanup efforts have been protesting their move into the flotels. According to them, when they signed up for the job, the agreement...
BP Wants Us All to Look at the Bright Side of Things
Monday, June 28th, 2010
Ever the eternal optimist, BP wants all of us, including maritime attorneys and fishing communities along the Gulf Coast, to look at the bright side of things. So what if 11 families have lost loved ones in the explosion, and fishing communities in Louisiana, Alabama and elsewhere are looking at the destruction of their livelihood? So what if the oil spill shows no signs of abating? BP will have you know there is a silver lining to find in this dark cloud.
According to the BP magazine, local non-fishing businesses like hotels, are actually prospering because...
Pres. Obama Tells Crewmember Families He Will Consider Lifting Drilling Moratorium
Sunday, June 13th, 2010
The family members of the workers killed in the Deepwater Horizon semisubmersible rig explosion, traveled to Washington this week to meet with Pres. Barack Obama. They had been especially invited by the White House, although the visit was tainted by allegations that the invitation to meet the president came far too late.
Chief on the agenda for the families of the 11 workers, was to tell the president that a catastrophe like this must never be allowed to happen again. These are the families that lost the most when the BP-operated oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico on...
Crewmember Says Workers Pressured to Work Harder Just before BP Explosion
Sunday, June 13th, 2010
CNN's Anderson Cooper has a special report out featuring accounts from some of the survivors of the BP Deepwater Horizon rig explosion in the Gulf Mexico. It is becoming more and more clear that safety precautions were thrown out the window as pressure mounted on the workers and the crews to work faster.
Deepwater Horizon crewmember Stephen Stone was one of the 115 workers who were rescued from the rig after it exploded. His wife spent an agonizing 24 hours, not knowing if he was alive or killed in explosion, and finally meeting him at a...
BP Oil Spill Will Break All Records
Saturday, June 12th, 2010
[caption id="attachment_2238" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="BP_rig_explosion"][/caption]
By the time the BP well is capped and this spill is blocked, the Exxon Valdez spill will seem like an open kitchen faucet in comparison.
The latest estimates about the size of the BP oil spill are off the charts. Scientists are now estimating that approximately 2 million gallons of crude oil a day, could have been spilt from the well before engineers managed to implement a capping maneuver that is catching some of the flow. That means that since the spill began, approximately 100 million gallons of crude oil have been spewed...
BP Explosion Leads to Focus on Worldwide Oil and Gas Drilling Safety Standards
Saturday, June 12th, 2010
The massive explosion of the BP-operated oil rig and the formidable spill that continues to leak hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico every day, has stressed the need for stronger international standards for safety in the industry.
Mexico has been looking with great concern at its offshore drilling rigs since the explosion. There has been increased supervision of the Permex offshore rigs since the Deepwater Horizon explosion The country's Environment minister has said that countries worldwide must take safety considerations and environmental concerns into account, before issuing licenses for oil and gas filling offshore.
Those...
