Injury and illness are leading causes of medical evacuation. While they may be inevitable in every workplace, the negative impact on productivity is amplified offshore and can bring operators to a halt with serious implications for production time and costs.
Preventative policies and procedures, coupled with adequate on-site medical provision, will help ensure business continuity and reduce operational disruption.
Hygiene
Offshore, where the workforce is living in confined, close quarters and illness can spread quickly, prevention is definitely better than cure.
Simple hygiene measures can help stop the spread of illness and having a trained medical expert on board to educate workers about good hygiene practices is the first step in prevention. From galley inspections and water testing to training key personnel in optimal hygiene practices and the importance of vaccinations, RMI’s expert medical teams are experienced in maintaining safe working environments on vessels.
Health and medical care
Treating injuries and ailments is costly and many operators are investing in preventative pre-screening processes to reduce the risk of operational disruption. Individual workers may have pre-existing illnesses or health conditions that will cause delays in operations or risk to themselves and their teams if they go undetected. In addition, alcohol and drug testing pre-deployment can act as a deterrent for staff and help to foster a safe working environment.
While standard first aid training equips teams to render basic stabilising care for a handful of life and limb-threatening emergencies, RMI’s on-site medical providers have a far greater level of training and experience, allowing them to deliver a higher level of care in both emergency and non-emergency situations.
RMI also provides telemedicine and case management support, which gives onsite staff access to around-the-clock medical consultations and advice. These provisions help to limit the need for crew to be transported offsite.
Mental health and wellbeing
Spending time away from family, while working long and demanding shift patterns in confined spaces, can be challenging. To help combat this, RMI’s medics promote simple practices of self-care, optimal sleep, hygiene, a varied and wholesome diet, regular exercise and rest, and avoiding excessive phone use in between shifts. Mental health webinars and surveys, informal workshops, and awareness-raising education campaigns ensure that mental wellbeing is always a priority.
Emergency preparation
Even with the best preventative measures in place, being prepared for medical emergencies is essential. All offshore vessels, including those located within reach of a hospital, should have a regularly reviewed and practiced Medical Emergency Response Plan (MERP).
This plan outlines the medical referral facilities and their respective capabilities for treating a wide variety of health and injury emergencies, and how to transport patients to these places. Emergency plans are common but having a robust procedure with integrated medical support can help swiftly deal with a time-sensitive emergency situation, without the need to take workers offsite.
Learn how a leading Norwegian Offshore Seismic company used RMI’s support to ensure operational continuity: https://rmiglobalsolutions.com/operational-continuity-for-a-leading-norwegian-offshore-seismic-company/