Offshore staff
ABERDEEN — Nearly 200 representatives of leading organizations in the energy industry have joined together to develop a charter aimed at improving the mental health of North Sea workers.
The sector-wide agreement, which is being driven by the North Sea Chapter of the International Association of Drilling Contractors (IADC), is being developed in recognition that more must be done after research found 40% of onshore and offshore workers experienced suicidal thoughts some or all of the time while on duty.
The development of the charter is being led by a dedicated team who has determined the key areas of focus for the industry, with the document poised to undergo a wider consultation with stakeholders, including psychologists, before being issued in the coming weeks.
Delegates at the conference supported the call for a charter to help create the cultural and process changes required to improve mental health support for onshore and offshore workers.
Darren Sutherland, chair of the IADC North Sea Chapter, said, “Despite past efforts, the needle on mental health improvement does not seem to be moving in the right direction, let alone at pace. Tools have been created to better support mental health previously, but these have largely been activated through sign posting tactics and have failed to address the necessary cultural change required.
“The current generation of oil and gas workers will be remembered for being at the head of the energy transition – but that transition must include improving how we care for each other. And it must start today.”
The charter includes contributions from operators, contractors, psychologists and third sector organizations. It provides a framework to improve the mental health and safety of workers across the industry, detailing explicit actions, processes and improvements for all charter signatories to follow.
Sutherland added, “The work we are doing is about coming together as human beings to allow us to do business better by creating improved working environments for our people, not at the expense of them. This is not a box-ticking exercise. I would encourage as many organizations as possible to not only sign up to the charter, but to embrace it."
05.18.2023
