oilfieldbasura

Published in Blowout   February 1992 Leroy McGregor CLANGING metal, shouted orders, indescribable filth and regular accidents … to outsiders, a drill-floor operation seems like a scene from Armageddon. It is sad to reflect that of those who hire, supervise, fire and harass drill crews, many have never swung a tong with feeling. Being part of a five-man team who can move one-ton lengths of steel with precision, skill and grace, can be a spiritually uplifting experience. By working together and covering each other’s weaknesses you gain respect for the rest of the crew and a unique insight into the fundamentals of “making hole”. The job you learn on the drill floor would be a great apprenticeship for further responsibilities with a service company, in the office or as an oil company representative. If people with practical drill-floor experience were given wider responsibility in their industry they could avert many accidents and eliminate much dubious expenditure. In the...

November 1991 While the oil companies were focusing their energy on restoring democracy in Kuwait, a quiet revolution took place in downtown Aberdeen. Behind the solid granite walls of OILC House, a radical change in approach and legal status was underway. The image of Angry Young (?) Men defying capitalism and “stopping the oil” had served its purpose. The new talk was of building mutual respect, dialogue, human dignity and,  above all, being zealous for the law. The unofficial organisation which dominated television news in August 1990 has now done the decent thing. The Offshore Industry Liaison Committee has faced up to its responsibilities and become a legally constituted trade union. Perhaps a short honeymoon would have helped the organisation adjust to its new status, but faced with mounting evidence of the ostrich approach to industrial safety, the pace of activity in Guild Street is more hectic than ever. If those within the offshore union are unsure ...

Service and reward – a cautionary tale Inspired by JIM THAIN of Montrose Written by LEROY McGREGOR Blowout  November 1991 Once upon a time a North-east man joined the Royal Navy and for many years he served Queen and country with loyalty and dedication. As a reward for his services, he was given a big-money job in the Royal Oilfields. The work was hard and the hours were long, but North-east folk are used to that and our hero was happy with his lot. The beauty of summer evenings in the North Sea was compensation enough for the wild storms of the winter and the years quickly passed. ‘Til one fateful night our man’s life was changed for ever. As he cleaned the drill floor, little did he know that far above him a tiny crack was slowly getting bigger. From an able-bodied man, skilled and strong, to a broken cripple, a creature that would never go to the sea again. It was over before you could blink. For as long as men have tempted Providence upon the North Sea swell, for ...