Questions Raised on Worker Health and Safety Protections on Offshore Oil Rigs
WASHINGTON, D.C. –House Education and Labor Committee members today raised serious questions regarding important worker safety protections on offshore oil rigs like the Deepwater Horizon.
While the Occupational Safety and Health Administration oversees workplace health and safety within three miles of the U.S. coastline, the United States Coast Guard has the authority to issue worker safety regulations for mobile offshore drilling units the Deepwater Horizon beyond the three mile zone. In addition, the Bureau of Ocean Energy (BOE), formerly known as the Mineral Management Service, covers safety for drilling equipment and industrial systems on drilling rigs. “In light of the current tragedy in Gulf, I hope we can answer whether there is a better way to oversee and protect the health and safety of oil rig workers,” said U.S. Rep. George Miller, chairman of the committee. “The Deepwater disaster clearly demonstrates that the status quo is not good enough. We must do better.”
For example, witnesses from the U.S. Coast Guard and the Bureau of Ocean Energy could not identify specific protections for workers who blow the whistle on unsafe working conditions or operations.
“These are inherently dangerous working conditions. Now there is a question whether a worker has the protection to say ‘stop’ in face of danger without fear of retaliation. That is a very serious problem if that right doesn’t exist in the law,” said Miller.
Miller also raised questions regarding BOE’s development of a process safety management regulation without the proper involvement of OSHA, which has years of experience in carrying out such a standard.
Process safety management standards are used to prevent or contain a catastrophic release of hazardous materials in high-risk operations present in the chemical and petroleum industries.
Witnesses also testified that despite some initial problems with coordination on worker protections for workers cleaning up the oil spill, efforts are better coordinated among OSHA, the Coast Guard and BP, which is responsible for providing personal protective equipment to workers.
Dr. John Howard, director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), an agency part of the Centers for Disease Control, testified that cleanup workers face many risks such as exposure to heat stress and toxic substances that have both short and long-term health implications.
“It is important to protect response workers, volunteers and Gulf coast residents against potential health hazards now so that we can prevent future chronic health effects associated with this spill,” said Howard. Howard also said that NIOSH is currently collecting the names and job duties for the thousands of workers currently involved in the cleanup so they can track current and future health problems.
Read opening statements from the hearing or watch an archived webcast
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