Safety and industrial relations in the newfoundland offshore oil industry since the ocean ranger disaster in 1982

New Solutions

Volumn 10, Issue 1-2, 2000, Pages 117-165

  Hart, Sue ^a  

^a MEMORIAL UNIVERSITY OF NEWFOUNDLAND   (Canada)

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[No Author keywords available]

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EID: 84986117718     PISSN: 10482911     EISSN: 15413772     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.2190/FJXY-T707-B3LP-J8NU     Document Type: Article

References (148)

1. Det Norske Veritas (DNV), 1997.
2. International Labour Organization (ILO), Occupational Safety and Health Branch
3. Workers in Remote Areas, Working Paper, 1995.
4. Canada-Newfoundland Offshore Petroleum Board (CNOPB), Hibernia, 1998.
5. Terra Nova Alliance, Terra Nova Overview, www.terranovaproject.com/whatis/whatis.htm, 2000.
6. Canada, Royal Commission of the Ocean Ranger Marine Disaster, Vol. 1, 1984.
7. Canada, Royal Commission of the Ocean Ranger Marine Disaster, Vol. 2, 1985.
8. Canada, Department of Energy, Mines and Resources, Summary of Action Taken by the Government of Canada in Relation to the Recommendation of the Royal Commission on the Ocean Ranger Marine Disaster, April 1985.
9. Canada, Department of Energy, Mines and Resources, Government of Canada Response to the Recommendations of the Royal Commission on the Ocean Ranger Marine Disaster, April 1986.
10. Lord Cullen, The Public Inquiry into the Piper Alpha Disaster, Vols. 1 and 2, HMSO, London, 1990.
11. Daily Oil Bulletin, Friday, February 21, 1992.
12. Government of Canada, News Release: Epp and Siddon Announce Proclamation of Amendments to the Oil and Gas Production and Conservation Act and Accord Acts, 3 September 1992.
13. Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, News Release: Minister of Mines and Energy announces proclamation of amendments to the Canada-Newfoundland Atlantic Accord Implementation (Newfoundland) Act, 4 September 1992.
14. H. Ryggvik, Why Norway was Different, in M. Beck, J. Foster, H. Ryggvik, and C. Woolfson (eds.), Piper Alpha Ten Years After: Safety and Industrial Relations in the British and Norwegian Offshore Oil Industry, Centre for Technology and Culture, Oslo, 57–105, 1998.
15. Interview with Howard Pike, Manager, Operations and Safety, CNOPB, July 20, 1998.
16. Canada, Canada-Newfoundland Atlantic Accord Implementation Act. Ottawa: Queen’s Printer, 1986.
17. Newfoundland, Canada-Newfoundland Atlantic Accord Implementation Newfoundland Act. St. John’s, 1986.
18. Interview with Elaine Price, President of the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Labour (NLFL), June 16, 1998.
19. Interview with Bill Parsons, President of the Newfoundland and Labrador Building Trades Council (NLBTC), July 21, 1998.
20. Interview with Marilyn Pike, President of Newfoundland and Labrador Employers’ Council, December 17, 1998.
21. Canada, Canada-Newfoundland Atlantic Accord Implementation Act, Section 1524(b).
22. Interview with Richard Day, Director; Jan Swaan, Manager; and Bob Gowier, of Compliance, Marine Safety and Environmental Programs, Government of Canada, 10 November 1998.
23. Interview with Mike Hnetka, Advisor, Regulations, Frontier Lands Management Division, Energy Resources Branch, Natural Resources, Canada, Ottawa, 9 November 1998.
24. C. Woolfson, J. Foster, and M. Beck, Paying for the Piper: Capital and Labour in Britain’s Offshore Oil Industry, Mansell, London, 1996.
25. S. Tombs and D. Whyte, Capital Fights Back: Risk, Regulation and Profit in the UK Offshore Oil Industry, Studies in Political Economy, 57, pp. 73–101, Autumn 1998.
26. M. Cooper, Labour Relations Processes on Offshore Oil Production Platforms, Report Commissioned by the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, April 25, 1997.
27. Interview with Harvey Smith, President, HMDC, December 17, 1998.
28. J. Smith, Hibernia Safety Measures not up to North Sea Standards, Evening Telegram, June 15, 1997.
29. Interview with Howard Pike, Manager, Operations and Safety, CNOPB, January 29, 1999.
30. ILO, case no. 1389, 45.
31. Cited in Cooper, Labour Relations Processes, p. 58, 1997. Letter from President, NLFL, to CNOPB, May 16, 1997 and personal communication.
32. Interview with Howard Pike, Manager, Operations and Safety, CNOPB, 20 July 1998.
33. Figures from CNOPB, Annual Reports, 1987-1990.
34. Interview with John Ramsey, Chief Executive of OPITO, UK. He confirmed that OPITO has now incorporated training for the device into its programs, July 6, 1998.
35. Interview with Dr. Alan Sefton, Director of Offshore Safety Division, HSE, UK, June 29, 1998.
36. Interview with David Fitzpatrick, Environment, Loss Prevention and Quality Functional Expertise Leader, Production Performance Team, HMDC, August 25, 1998.
37. C. Flanagan, Terra Nova Engineering Jobs Still Not Relocated to Province, Evening Telegram, 21 March 1998. 25.
38. W. Hilliard, Lawyers Battle City’s Right to Fight Petroleum Board, Evening Telegram, September 1, 1998.
39. C. Flanagan, Seismic Worker Spat Spills: Immigration Canada has no Authority Beyond 12-Mile Limit, Evening Telegram, June 6, 1998.
40. Interview with Bill Parsons, President, NLBTC, July 21, 1998.
41. CNOPB, Annual Report, 1990-1991.
42. Unless otherwise noted, the figures referred to in this section are from CNOPB Annual Reports, 1987-1990.
43. CNOPB, Annual report, 1988-1989, 21. Unfortunately, exact statistics were unavailable and Figure 1 has been reproduced from the CNOPB’s figure 5, page 21. The overall trend can be clearly seen, however.
44. S. Tombs, A. Rather Tragic Blip, Blowout: The OILC Magazine 55, July/August 1998.
45. Interview with Bill Parsons, President, NLBTC, 21 July 1998.
46. interview with Judy Vanta, 12 January 1999, Chair of OHS Committee, NLFL, Labour representative on OHS Advisory Committee to government of Newfoundland and Labrador.
47. Figures provided by the Government of Newfoundland, Department of Environment and Labour, Occupational Health and Safety Division.
48. Telephone interview with Doug Carter, OHS, Department of Environment and Labour, 29 January 1999.
49. B. Grzetic, M. Shrimpton and S. Skipton, WITT, Women, Employment Equity and the Hibernia Construction Project: a study of women’s experiences on the Hibernia Construction Project, Mosquito Cove, Newfoundland. St. John’s, Report, June 1996.
50. P. Arab, Sexual Harassment Ruled Workplace Safety Hazard, Evening Telegram, August 23, 1997.
51. Sable Island BBA Safety Video, 1998.
52. Personal communication from Howard Pike, CNOPB, letter dated March 1, 1999.
53. Interview with David Fitzpatrick, HMDC, July 16, 1998 and August 25, 1998.
54. Interview with Harvey Smith, President, HMDC, 17 December 1998.
55. Hibernia Environment, Safety and Quality AR 1997, HMDC. Hibernia Environment, Safety and Quality Management System, Hibernia Environment, Safety and Quality Handbook, HMDC, October 1997. The Hibernia Gainsharing Program, Program Description and Administrative Guide, HMDC, undated.
56. P. Chr. Bonde, Risk Analysis in the Norwegian Sector-Views from a Senior Safety Delegate, OFS/OILC Conference, Offshore Safety in a Cost Conscious Environment from British and Norwegian Perspectives, Proceedings of Conference, Stavanger, Norway, pp. 15–16, November 1994.
57. G. Kealey and G. Long, Labour and Hibernia: Conflict Resolution at Bull Arm, 1990-1992, St. John’s: ISER, 1993.
58. G. Kealey and M. McBride, Labour Relations at the Hibernia Project, 1990-1997, Report, unpublished.
59. Hibernia, Construction Project Agreement, 1990.
60. Newfoundland and Labrador Employers Council Conference, 23 April 1998, St. John’s, New Foundland, Canada.
61. Collective Agreement, Canadian Auto Workers/Fish, Food and Allied Workers (CAW/FFAW), 1997.
62. Interviews with Bill Parsons, President, NLBTC, 21 July 1998.
63. Elaine Price, President, NLFL, 16 June 1998.
64. Ron Smith, Communications, Energy and Papermakers (CEP), 3 December 1998.
65. Judy Vanta, Newfoundland Association of Public Employees (NAPE), 12 January 1999.
66. Brian Kohler, CEP, 8 December 1998.
67. NLFL, “Submission on the Labour Relations Framework for Production at the Hibernia Offshore Oilfield, 13 February 1997.
68. Ontario Advisory Council on Occupational Health and Safety, An Evaluation of Joint Health and Safety Committees in Ontario (1986).
69. Canadian Association for the Administrators of Labour Law; C. Tuohy and M. Simard, The Impact of Joint Health and Safety Committees in Ontario and Quebec (Canadian Association for Administrators of Labour Law, 1993).
70. B. Reilly, P. Paci, and P. Holl, “Unions, safety committees and workplace injuries,” British Journal of Industrial Relations, 33, 2 (1993).
71. D. Walters and S. Gourlay, Statutory Employee Involvement in Health and Safety at the Workplace. Health and safety executive, report 20/1990. (London: HMSO, 1990).
72. TUC, The Future of Workplace Safety Representatives: A TUC Health and Safety Report (London: Congress House, 1995).
73. World Bank, Workers in an Integrating World, World Development Report (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1995).
74. Vol. Two of the Public Inquiry into the Piper Alpha Disaster, 376.
75. Cited in Cooper, Labour Relations Processes…, 68.
76. Woolfson, Foster, and Beck, Paying for the Piper, 278.
77. Note of Dissent, Burgoyne Report, Offshore Safety, Cmnd 7866, London: HMSO, 1980.
78. Whyte, Conference on Offshore Safety, University of Glasgow, 4 July 1998.
79. Interview with Jake Malloy, General Secretary, OILC, 6 July 1998.
80. Alberta Economic Development Authority, Final Report: Joint Review Committee Right-to-Work Study (November 1995).
81. AFL-CIO, A Tale of Two Nations: A Statistical Case for Free Collective Bargaining (Washington: AFL-CIO Department of Organization and Field Services, 1994).
82. M. Gunderson and A. Ponak, Union-Management Relations in Canada, 3rd edition (Don Mills, ON: Addison-Wesley Publishers, Ltd., 1995), especially chapter 5.
83. Mark Thompson, “The Management of Industrial Relations,” which deals with the issue of union avoidance on a more general level. For specifics on the oil companies.
84. See Woolfson, Beck, and Foster, Paying for the Piper, chapters 2-4.
85. Interviews with Elaine Price, President, NLFL, 16 June 1998.
86. Ron Smith, CEP, 3 December 1998.
87. Judy Vanta, NAPE, 12 January 1999.
88. Brian Kohler, CEP, 8 December 1998.
89. T. Monk, Making Shiftwork Tolerable (London: Taylor and Francis, 1992).
90. Ilene Stones, Rotational Shiftwork: A Summary of the Adverse Effects and Improvement Strategies (Hamilton, Ontario: Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety, 1987).
91. W. P. Colquhoun and J. Rutenfranz, eds., Studies of Shiftwork (London: Taylor and Francis, 1980).
92. James Walker, Human Aspects of Shiftwork (London: Institute of Personnel Management, 1978).
93. A. Alvarez, Offshore (Houghton Mifflin, 1986), 28.
94. Cited in Cooper, Labour Relations Processes, 79.
95. R. Moore and P. Wyebrow, Women in the North Sea Oil Industry (Manchester: Equal Opportunities Commission, 1984).
96. D. Clark, K. McCann, K. Morrice, and R. Taylor, “Work and Marriage in the Offshore Oil Industry,” International Journal of Social Economics, vol. 12, no. 2 (1985); 36-47.
97. D. Clark and R. Taylor, “Partings and Reunions: Marriage and Offshore in the British North Sea,” in Women, Work and Family in the British, Canadian and Norwegian Offshore Oilfields.
98. J. Lewis et al., eds. (London: Macmillan, 1988), 112-139.
99. D. L. Collinson, “Shifting Lives: Work-Home Pressures in the North Sea Oil Industry,” Canadian Review of Sociology and Anthropology, 35 (1998), 301-324.
100. G. Slaven and R. Flin, “Selecting Managers for a Hazardous Environment: Offshore Petroleum Installations,” Personnel Review, vol. 23, no. 5 (1994), 4-14.
101. V. J. Sutherland and C. Cooper, Man and Accidents Offshore (London: Eastern Press, 1986).
102. OILC, Submission to the European Commission Review Group for the Working Hours Directive, undated.
103. Telephone interview with Howard Pike, Manager, Operations and Safety, CNOPB, 29 January 1999.
104. Canadian Petroleum Association (CPA), Qualifications, Safety Training and Certification, 1990.
105. Offshore Design Associates Ltd., Comparative Physical Model Study of Offshore Evacuation Systems (St. John’s, 1997).
106. R. Speight, Faculty of Maritime Studies at Glasgow College of Nautical Studies, “Lifeboat Release Mechanisms-Parts 1-3,” in Seaways (August, September, and October 1995).
107. Petrel Ocean Safety, Escape and Evacuation Systems-Risk and Reliability, Summary and Review of Industry Studies of Evacuation Systems (London, March 1996).
108. Oil Companies International Marine Forum (OCIMF) report, Results of a Survey into Lifeboat Safety (London, July 1994).
109. R. Spreight, “Lifeboat Release Mechanisms-Part I,” Seaways, August 1995.
110. OCIMF report, Results of a Survey into Lifeboat Safety (London, July 1994).
111. Daily Oil Bulletin, Friday, February 21, 1992.
112. Government of Canada, News Release: Epp and Siddon Announce Proclamation of Amendments to the Oil and Gas Production and Conservation Act and Accord Acts, 3 September 1992.
113. Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, News Release: Minister of Mines and Energy announces proclamation of amendments to the Canada-Newfoundland Atlantic Accord Implementation (Newfoundland) Act, 4 September 1992. Technical Appendix of Ocean Ranger report, Vol. 1.
114. Interview with Commander George A. Prudat, 9 november 1998, past Commanding Officer of a destroyer, with over twenty years at sea during which he participated in several rescues.
115. K. Mearns and R. Flin, “Decision Making in Emergencies: A Psychological Analysis,” paper presented to Human Factors in Emergency Response Offshore Conference, European Seminar, 1993.
116. A. Waring, “Power and Culture-Their Implications for Safety Cases and EER,” paper presented to Human Factors in Emergency Response Offshore Conference, 1993.
117. M. Carey and B. Kennedy, “Analysis of Human Failures during Evacuation, Escape and Rescue,” consultant paper, 1993.
118. B. P. Fitzgerald, M. D. Green, J. Pennington, and A. J. Smith, “A Human Factors Approach to the Effective Design of Evacuation Systems,” Loss Prevention Bulletin, no. 97 (1997), 13-22.
119. P. Stephens and D. Lucas, “Modelling the Human Response in Emergency Escape,” consultant paper, September 1993.
120. J. P. Landolt and C. Monaco, “Seasickness in Totally-Enclosed Motor-Propelled Survival Craft: Remedial Measures,” Aviation, Space and Environmental Medicine (March 1992), 219-225.
121. Telephone interview with David Menarry, HSE, UK, January 1999.
122. Health and Safety Executive (HSE) report OTO 96 009, Det Norske Veritas (DNV), 1997. Evacuations, Escape and Rescue Advisory Group (EERTAG), An Assessment of the Evacuation of an Offshore Installation by TEMPSC: Based on an Analysis of Survivor Experience, November 1997, which identified primary issues of concern arising from the Ocean Odyssey incident September 1988. EERTAG is a technical liaison group which is a forum for expertise in the area of evacuation, escape and rescue and comprises representatives from HSE, employer groups from different sectors of the industry including operator, rig owner, and standby ship companies, as well as the central labor federation in the UK (TUC).
123. Interview with Captain Phillip McCarter, Master Mariner, Marine Institute, 5 March 1999.
124. See letter from Flag Officer Surface Flotilla, HM Naval Base, Portsmouth, U.K. to Mr. C. F. Lafferty, Woking Surrey, U.K., 2 April 1996.
125. Interview with Lieutenant-Commander Gavin Baker, 4 March 1999.
126. Telephone interview with Howard Pike, Manager, Operations and Safety, CNOPB, 26 February 1999.
127. C. Flanagan, “Ottawa Studying Safety Rules: Failure of Hibernia’s GEMEVAC rekindles interest in evacuation systems,” Evening Telegram, 7 October 1998, 6.
128. Cited in R. Leblanc, “A Tragedy in the Making,” Express, 29 July 1998.
129. Dan O’Brien cited in C. Flanagan, “Ottawa Studying Safety Rules: Failure of Hibernia’s GEMEVAC rekindles interest in evacuation systems,” Evening Telegram, 7 October 1998.
130. Interview with Bill Parsons, President, NLBTC, 12 June 1998.
131. H. A. F. Pyman and P. R. Lyon, “Casualty Rates in Abandoning Ships at Sea, in The Royal Institution of Naval Architects, (1985), 329-332.
132. The president of HDMC, Harvey Smith, in his presentation 5 February 1999 to the Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN) business school, describing the platform location.
133. C. MacFarlane, 28 in OFS/OILC, Offshore Safety in a Cost Conscious Environment from British and Norwegian Perspectives, Proceedings of Conference, 15-16 November 1994, Stavanger, Norway.
134. K. H. Drager and J. Wiklund, “Advanced Computer Modelling for Solving Practical Problems in EER,” (September 1993).
135. It should be noted here that in its relatively short life the Hibernia platform has already been evacuated. The first evacuation took place 30 November 1998 when a potentially hazardous gas leak was detected, just 2 weeks after oil production started. 107 personnel were evacuated by helicopter to the oil rig Bill Shoemaker before the leak was traced to a small oil spill. On 12 March 1999 Hibernia oil production and drilling was halted after a gas and fire alarm went off in the drilling area, shutting down all power on the platform. A Hibernia helicopter and a coast guard rescue vessel were dispatched to the scene to evacuate the 230 workers on board but as no signs of gas or fire were detected the evacuation was called off. C. Flanagan, “Production Halted After Alarm Sounds,” Evening Telegram, 12 March 1999, 3.
136. A second power outage occurred less than 2 weeks later on 20 March 1999, the cause of which is still under investigation. T. Barron, “Hibernia Loses Power: Second Shutdown in Two Weeks,” Evening Telegram, 21 March 1999, 2.
137. R. Nishman, “Through the Portlights of the Ocean Ranger: Federalism, Energy and the American Development of the Canadian Eastern Offshore, 1955-1985,” unpublished MA thesis, Queen’s University, 1991, 180.
138. D. Beeby, “More Chopper Woes,” Evening Telegram, 27 November 1998, 5.
139. D. Beeby, “Another Labrador Grounded Because of Engine Trouble, Evening Telegram, 28 November 1998, 5.
140. D. Beeby, “Troubled Choppers Fly Again,” Evening Telegram, 15 January 1999, 5.
141. D. Beeby, “Another Labrador Grounded Because of Engine Trouble,” Evening Telegram, 5.
142. D. Beeby, “Troubled Choppers Fly Again,” Evening Telegram, 15 January 1999, 5.
143. D. Beeby, “Sea King Fleet Grounded,” Evening Telegram, 16 October 1998, 1.
144. D. Drache and M. Gertler, “The World Economy and the Nation-State: The New International Order,” in Drache and Gertler, eds., The Era of Global Competition: State Policy and Market Power (1991).
145. Interview with Bill Parsons, President, NLBTC, 21 July 1998.
146. interview with Judy Vanta, NAPE, 12 January 1999.
147. Justice K. P. Richard, Commissioner, The Westray Story: A Predictable Path to Disaster, Report of the Westray Mine Public Inquiry, November 1997.
148. Jennifer Smith, “Hibernia Safety Measures Not Up to North Sea Standards,” Evening Telegram, 15 June 1994.