American Oil and Gas Reporter - April 2016 - 56

SpecialReport: HS&E
safe LED blasting lights, portable work
lights, and safe LED trouble lights, he
says. "The goal behind the entire product
line is to provide explosion-proof lighting
and power distribution solutions that are
customized, but easily adjustable to fit
the needs of various offshore rigs and
onshore locations," offers Lesley.
Advances include permanently mounted explosion-proof light fixtures, as well
as the portable EPL-16BS-1X150LED100 explosion proof LED work light,
versatile pedestal and magnetic mount
lights, and other Class 1, Division 1 hazardous location lighting solutions, Lesley
details.
"The EPL-16BS-1X150LED-100 provides 10,000 square feet of work area
coverage with 13,000 lumens of light
output," he states. "The portable LED
light is mounted to a four leg aluminum
base and has an LED light head measuring
16 inches wide by 14 inches tall.
Lesley says the LED light head produces a flood pattern of light that is ideal
for illuminating enclosed areas and hazardous locations where flammable vapors,
gases and dusts may be present. In the
past, he notes that industrial lighting had
to be monitored continually to ensure
that all lights were safe and operating,
but the LED lights, including those installed in a lighting system, do not require
as much manpower to monitor.
Plus, LED lighting typically is brighter,
consumes less power, and emits substantially less heat, according to Lesley.
"LED lights give you a lot more light

for a lot fewer watts," he says. "They
usually are more than 50 percent more
efficient in a power draw than a traditional
light. Also, if workers were to stand next
to some light towers with metal fixtures,
the heat basically would be the equivalent
of standing in a French fry oven. But in
front of a fixture with an LED light, you
barely can feel any heat at all. That definitely helps workers, especially when
they are working in tight spaces and need
bright light, but do not need to be subjected
to intense heat the entire time."
Fit-For-Duty Standards
At Wild Well Control, the medical
department partners with HS&E solutions
to include higher fit-for-duty standards
to identify potential health issues that
workers may have before they even depart
for an international offshore or remote
job site, says Dr. Matthew Minson, the
company's medical director.
"In the maritime setting, we have
seen-whether talking about the North
Sea, Alaskan Shelf or the Gulf of Mexico-that as much as 80-85 percent of medical-related evacuations and disruptions
relate not so much to trauma or injury,
but to existing medical problems that
worsen and lead to the need for acute
care," explains Minson, citing findings
from multiple studies.
Now in its fourth year of implementation at Wild Well Control, the more thorough fit-for-duty program includes as a
key component a screening physical that
differs from an actuarial physical in that

Falck Safety Services has expanded its training courses to include well control training
in a "blended" approach, in addition to offering core safety and marine-related courses.
Through an alliance with Boots & Coots, Falck developed its well control training program to include e-learning, video, 3-D animation, and simulation exercises in addition to
classroom instruction.

56 THE AMERICAN OIL & GAS REPORTER

it helps identify predictable medical problems that can be treated properly so workers can be safer and more secure in the
austere or remote workplace environment,
according to Minson.
"We wanted a physical evaluation and
exam in which the doctor would be
looking specifically at these pathologies
or underlying medical concerns and thinking about the job environment," he says.
"For example, if the screening doctor
doing the fit-for-duty physical finds that
the individual has a blood pressure of
200 over 130, he wants to assure that the
blood pressure is adequately controlled
medically before deploying to the job, as
well as determine whether the person
has other medical problems to which hypertension can contribute, such as a cardiac
issue.
"The screening physician discusses
findings with the medical department and
engages the worker's physician to ensure
a proper workup and control is achieved,"
Minson says. This additional step results
in a safer, healthier workforce, and has
major economic benefits for employees
and the company, he adds.
In some examples, the cost savings
have been as high as a factor of 10 in reducing disruptions of a productive work
cycle, Minson says.
"For example, if the company spent
$2.5 million a year on medical costs and
extractions, it potentially could reduce
that to the $200,000 range in one calendar
year," he offers. "We see that reduction
across the board."
Despite some beliefs to the contrary,
the new standard does not exclude workers,
insists Minson, author of the books Prepare to Defend Yourself: How to Navigate
the Healthcare System and Escape with
Your Life and Prepare to Defend Yourself:
How to Age Gracefully and Escape with
Your Dignity, both from Texas A&M
University Press.
"The idea with our program is not to
say someone with a problem cannot work
or to exclude anyone. It is just the opposite
and our results show that," he comments.
"If someone has a medical problem, we
want to make sure it has been controlled
properly and that he is safe," he says.
"It is one of those great situations
where doing the right thing for the employees is also economically beneficial."
'Blended' Training Courses
Falck Safety Services has expanded
its safety and marine training courses to

American Oil and Gas Reporter - April 2016

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