Psychosocial aspects of work and health in the North Sea oil and gas industry A survey of FPSO installations and comparison with platforms and drilling rigs

This report addresses three aspects of work and health among offshore personnel, drawing on data collected between 1995 and 2002. • A detailed survey of North Sea personnel (N=470) working on 'Floating Production, Storage and Offloading' (FPSO) installations in 2002 is reported. Significant differences were found across installations and across job types in a wide range of psychosocial measures. The effects of shiftwork and work/leave patterns were also examined. • The FPSO data were compared with data (obtained in 1995) from personnel working on production platforms (N=1169) and drilling rigs (N=478). FPSO installations were similar to drilling rigs in psychosocial work characteristics but were closer to platforms in physical work environment. • Changes in offshore work conditions and well-being over a five-year period (1995 to 2000) were examined in longitudinal data (N=288). Among those who remained in the same job, the measures analysed remained relatively stable. Job change (particularly to a management role) was the main factor influencing changes in work perceptions. This report and the work it describes were funded by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Its contents, including any opinions and/or conclusions expressed, are those of the authors alone and do not necessarily reflect HSE policy. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the copyright owner. ii SUMMARY This report examines three aspects of " work and well-being " among offshore personnel in the North Sea oil and gas industry. First, a survey (carried out in 2002) of personnel working on " Floating Production, Storage, and Offloading " (FPSO) installations is described. Second, the FPSO data are compared with similar data collected in 1995-6 on production platforms and drilling rigs. Third, longitudinal data are analysed to evaluate the extent of change over time (1995 to 2000) in psychosocial factors and health among North Sea personnel. In each study, the survey data included measures of the perceived work environment (physical stressors, workload, task variety/skill, autonomy, and job clarity), three aspects of overall work satisfaction (job satisfaction, job security, and satisfaction with safety), psychological well-being, physical health complaints, and health behaviours. Demographic factors (e.g. age, job type, employer) and work patterns (day/night shiftwork, work hours, and work/leave schedules) were also examined. The main findings are outlined below. FPSO study. …