The North Sea chapter of the International Association of Drilling Contractors (IADC) has revealed that almost 200 representatives from “leading organisations” in the energy industry have developed a charter aimed at improving the mental health of North Sea workers .
This agreement is driven by the IADC North Sea Chapter and led by a dedicated team that has identified key areas of focus for the industry, IADC highlighted in an update sent to Rigzone. A letter document is about to undergo wider consultation with stakeholders, including psychologists, before being issued “in the coming weeks”, the IADC revealed.
The IADC noted in the update that the sectoral agreement is being developed in recognition that more needs to be done after research found that 40 percent of onshore and offshore workers experienced suicidal thoughts at some point or all the time while they were on duty. The letter is said to include contributions from operators, contractors, psychologists and third sector organizations and provides a framework to improve the mental health and safety of workers across the industry.
“Having so many stakeholders determined to be involved in improving the mental health support available to energy workers, both offshore and onshore, is encouraging,” said Darren Sutherland, president of the Maritime Chapter of the North of the IADC, in a press release from the organization.
“Despite previous efforts, the needle on improving mental health does not seem to be moving in the right direction, let alone at the pace. Tools have been created to better support mental health in the past, but these activated largely through signaling tactics and have failed to achieve the necessary cultural change,” he added.
“The current generation of oil and gas workers will be remembered for leading the energy transition, but that transition must include improving how we take care of each other. And it must start today,” he continued.
“This is not a case-marking exercise. I would encourage as many organizations as possible to not only sign the letter, but to embrace it. We have the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of those we work with and we live and it’s an opportunity we can’t pass up,” Sutherland said.
Rigzone asked industry body Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) for a comment on the IADC update. OEUK told Rigzone it could not comment at this time.
Workshop, white paper
On April 25, the North Sea Chapter of the IADC hosted a mental health in energy workshop. More than 200 delegates gathered at the Chester Hotel in Aberdeen to “engage in dynamic debate and take action on this important issue,” the IADC’s North Sea chapter noted in a statement posted on its site web earlier this month.
The aim of this workshop was to initiate a joint culture change from the top down, to effectively address the issue of the current state of mental health in the energy industry, the IADC said in the statement, adding that this change must be driven. for the people who work in the sector.
Ahead of the workshop, the North Sea Chapter of the IADC published a white paper on mental health in the North Sea. This white paper noted that a recent International SOS Foundation study of remote ashore and offshore rotating shift workers found that 40 percent experienced suicidal thoughts some or all of the time while on duty.
The white paper also highlighted that UK-based Champion Health’s Workplace Health Report 2023 found that the number of employees who had thoughts of suicide or self-harm had risen to nine per cent since previous year and that 19 percent of workers have a current mental health diagnosis.
In OC Tanner’s 2023 Global Culture Report released earlier this year56 percent of oil and gas workers reported that their line managers seem stressed.
To contact the author, please send an email andreas.exarcheas@rigzone.com
