Abstract

All persons designated for offshore employment in the oil and gas industry, should be medically fit to work in that location. Ill health offshore, places the individual or his colleagues at risk. A safe working environment can only be maintained if standards of fitness are upheld. An effective screening program has to be implemented to monitor the health of offshore employees. This paper reports Unocal's offshore screening programs in S.E. Asia and the North Sea. Details are presented covering Unocal's current medical code of practice on installations in Indonesia's Makassar Strait, in the Gulf of Thailand, and Company application of the regulatory standards of fitness in the Dutch offshore sector and the recommended standards in the U.K. The problems of an ageing population offshore are addressed. Illness and accident trends in all four areas are demonstrated with explanations offered for significant differences. Unocal's promotional healthprograms and its commitment to good health for all, in each of the four offshore areas are highlighted.