Holdfast Training Services Trial Blog

I went offshore this weekend to get a feel for the platform and to complete a detailed recce of all my jobs. I was offshore with another SPA, and we went round the platform and explained things to me. He is a structural engineer by degree so he did his best but he was a bit put of his depth.  It was kept to an idiot’s guide level of explanation but it was very useful nonetheless. I managed to steer the conversation away from steel and concrete so we covered all the important issues such as chemical processes, piping arrangements, electrical single line diagrams, safety mechanisms, utilities including use of gas turbines fire water, potable water, storage of fuels and chemicals.
I had a detailed look at the jobs I am likely to encounter such as the Lifeboats, HP Cooler Replacement, Cabin Retrofit, and DC Charger Replacement. I also looked at some of the jobs that Imran is desperately trying to palm off on me. All in all, I feel like things are getting really quite busy and people are ready to trust me with much more responsibility.

The first thing I noticed was how seriously they take H&S, and quite rightly too. They termed it an open environment and it was where every crew member felt it appropriate to approach another person on the platform and point out any issues, or potential issues. They called it a Time Out For Safety (TOFS). It was good to see how the different systems work but I did notice that the permit to work system does slow things t like too many permits open at once so work can end up being stymied.

Jobs for the boys…

There are quite a lot of similarities with working in the military that would make ex-Army a good fit for working offshore:

Travel.  Be ready for hurry up and wait, it was like travelling with the RAF.  I had numerous delays but without any good reason.  I was almost bumped off the flight at the last minute only to be told to turn up on the off chance.  What should have been 70 minutes of flight time (50 in a fixed wing plane and 20 by helo) took 6 hours.  However, the airhostesses are not overweight men in sandy coloured coveralls.

Workers.  The average worker is just like a career sapper but aged 40 – 60.  They like doing what they  know and no more.  You have to double check on them and make sure they’re actually doing as they’re told.  The more senior guys on the platform are like the NCOs and WOs.  These guys are dynamic and get stuff done and know what to do through heaps of operational experience.

Routine.  Work routine was like being on operations.  They work long hours and have a bit of down time in the evening.  They then have time off to play hard.  A typical rotation is two weeks on, two weeks off.  The platform was full of workers and not a place you’d want to be without a busy job.  A bit like being stuck in Bastion longer than you needed to be.

Food.  The food was the same as being on operations, Aramark get everywhere.  It’s no wonder the Army can’t get a good deal by playing hard ball with Aramark because they must have much bigger contracts to worry about.

Pay.  This was a huge difference; the guy I was with was getting £90/day extra for being out there.  That would mean he would only need to be out there for 34 days to get the same as our operational bonus for 7 months (not taking into account tax).