Offshore staff
HOUSTON – Major energy companies in the United States have imposed work-from-home rules for office staff and have began health checks for remote or critical workers due to the spread of the coronavirus.
According to Reuters, BP, Exxon Mobil, Kinder Morgan, Motiva Enterprises and Royal Dutch Shell told most office staff to work from home starting Monday. Federal regulators on Friday were pressed by companies to ease work rules for pipeline operators and to limit visits to some sites. Shell and Chevron began health checks of workers and visitors at some key U.S. facilities, spokesmen said.
Offshore rigs, refineries and pipelines require onsite teams and group workers in close quarters, making them vulnerable in a Covid-19 outbreak. They cannot be run remotely and health checks could prevent forced shutdowns that could lead to big losses or local fuel shortages.
Shell has begun screening staff who travel to its U.S. Gulf of Mexico production rigs “to ensure that we minimize the risks of COVID-19 transmission” to offshore workers, said spokesman Curtis Smith.
03/16/2020
