Page 55 - Danish Offshore Industry 2015

FIGHTING A DANGEROUS LIFESTYLE Skilled offshore crews are an attractive commodity which shall be nourished and protected. Medical doc- tor Sanne Knutzen and University of Southern Den- mark are studying health in the North Sea. She has detected a number of areas where a company can improve conditions for their offshore employees and thereby improve their bottom line. A look at the average worker in the North Sea indicates to fnd out how best to target the prophylactic approach to a number of factors making the alarm sound. Like in the making offshore personnel maintain their jobs for as long average population onshore their weight has increased as possible. There is a clear economic advantage of avoiding signifcantly during a long period, but the average num- damage to the body when lifting heavy weights, and we are ber of smokers is much higher offshore than onshore. It able to inform and advice on the right training. It is a well- is a paradox that workers offshore have a much lower known fact that 80% of those who get acute pain in their absence from work due to illness, but still they leave back will get it again within a year if they do not strengthen their job earlier than they wish due to problems with the muscles in their back. And of course it is saving money if their health. you can hold on to an employee once you have spent a lot “I was in Aberdeen last year. During the latest two of money for training him or her for the job offshore,” ex- years 10 deaths have occurred related to the offshore plains Sanne Knutzen who is convinced that focus on health industry. Eight persons died due to cardiac & vascular may contribute to mitigating the lack of offshore workers. disorders. One committed suicide, and one had a lethal “The industry is constantly in need of personnel, so per- fall. This shows that it defnitely makes sense to include haps it is an idea to concentrate more on how to hold on to health when considering safety at work. Lifestyle and people. It is expensive to train them, and it makes sense to not accidents kill people offshore. That is why we have the individual employee. Our data show that job satisfaction to focus on factors like overweight and smoking,” is in top even after 25 years offshore. I hear people being states Sanne Knutzen who last year started up Offshore proud of their work. That is most likely to be the reason why Medical Center in Esbjerg. Here she is issuing health absence due to illness is so rare. Many of the workers have certifcates for personnel working offshore, and together a limited general education, so it is diffcult for them just with Center of Maritime Health and Society, University of to change jobs. That is why we shall fght to hold on to our Southern Denmark University, she is studying the general highly specialized workforce.” health condition in the North Sea. “We have collected data from 400 persons in order INCREASING DEMANDS After having issued more than 1,500 health certifcates Sanne Knutzen has obtained a thorough knowledge of the general trend among the offshore workforce, and she can see how this trend is refected in distinct problems during daily work. “During the latest 20 years average weight for offshore LIFESTYLE AND NOT personnel has increased by 20%, and some 60% of the workforce consists of smokers compared to 17% of the Dan- ACCIDENTS KILL ish population as such. Due to ladders and the restricted PEOPLE OFFSHORE space on a platform transport of persons suffering from ex- cessive overweight is often diffcult. Too big a body volume means, too, that you cannot escape through the window of 55 / FIGHTING A DANGEROUS LIFESTYLE