Background
Working conditions offshore
Theoretical background
Study aims
Methods
Participants
Interview guideline
Introduction
| study information, confidentiality, informed consent |
Socio-demographics
| offshore occupation, offshore experience in years |
employees: age, relationship status | |
Working conditions
| job demands
(example question: “When you think about your offshore work, what are particular [physical / psychological] demands of your work?”)
|
job resources
(example question: “When you think about your offshore work, what do you particularly like about your work?”)
| |
employees: needs for improvement
(example question: “In general, what needs for improvement do you see regarding your working conditions offshore?”)
|
Analysis
Results
Participants
Variable | Employees (n = 21) | Experts (n = 21) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
n
| % |
n
| % | |
Gender
| ||||
male | 19 | 90.5 | 17 | 81.0 |
female | 2 | 9.5 | 4 | 19.0 |
Offshore experience
| ||||
< 1 years | 2 | 9.5 | 3 | 14.3 |
1 − 2 years | 9 | 42.9 | 1 | 4.8 |
3 − 4 years | 5 | 23.8 | 7 | 33.3 |
> 4 years | 5 | 23.8 | 10 | 47.6 |
Mean: 3.4 years Range: 7 months – 8 years | Mean: 5.1 years Range: 6 months – 10 years | |||
Occupation
| ||||
technician | 6 | 28.6 | – | – |
quality and maintenance | 5 | 23.8 | – | – |
paramedic | 3 | 14.3 | – | – |
health and safety | 3 | 14.3 | 11 | 52.4 |
management offshore | 4 | 19.0 | 3 | 14.3 |
occupational physician | – | – | 4 | 19.0 |
managing director of offshore service providers | – | – | 3 | 14.3 |
Age
| ||||
20 − 30 years | 5 | 23.8 | n.a. | n.a. |
31− 40 years | 11 | 52.4 | n.a. | n.a. |
41− 50 years | 4 | 19.0 | n.a. | n.a. |
> 50 years | 1 | 4.8 | n.a. | n.a. |
Relationship status
| ||||
relationship | 18 | 85.7 | n.a. | n.a. |
single | 3 | 14.3 | n.a. | n.a. |
Offshore employees’ working conditions
Category 1: Work tasks
Main category: Work tasks | |
---|---|
Job demands
| |
physical work | hard physical work |
transfer and access to installations | physically and psychologically challenging |
accident risks | e.g. danger of falling or slipping |
workloads | intermittent periods of high workloads |
demanding work tasks | demanding work tasks that require high concentration |
work equipment | heavy work tools and personal protective equipment |
Job resources
| |
meaning of work | associations: adventure, freedom, fulfilment, pioneer spirit |
perception of safety | high perception of safety, strict safety procedures |
motivation and satisfaction | high work motivation and satisfaction |
challenging work tasks | positively challenging work tasks |
skills and competencies | work requires high skills and competencies |
versatility of work | great versatility of the work |
scope of action | wide scope of action at work |
Job demands
Physical work
“Generally, the work is very physically taxing.” [employee, ID #17, age 31–40 years, offshore experience 1–2 years].
“There is a huge physical component [that comes with the job], with climbing and working in awkward positions and at heights, etc.” [expert, ID #4, offshore experience > 4 years].
Transfer and access to installations
“Skipping up a ladder in a survival suit is certainly not everyone’s cup of tea.” [expert, ID #3, offshore experience > 4 years].
“In that kind of situation there is a definite feeling of tenseness.” [employee, ID #2, age 31–40 years, offshore experience 3–4 years].
“The problem of seasickness became apparent. It's a very real problem, affecting many people.” [expert, ID #14, offshore experience > 4 years].
Job resources
Meaning of work
“For me personally it’s still a great adventure.” [employee, ID #2, age 31–40 years, offshore experience 3–4 years].
“You’re not just an electrician in a small company that does routine house calls, rather you’re a pioneer – there are not many people who do this type of work.” [expert, ID #8, offshore experience > 4 years].
Perception of safety
“You are not only responsible for yourself, but also for your colleagues. And that is true in everything you do.” [employee, ID #4, age 41–50 years, offshore experience > 4 years].
Motivation and satisfaction
“They love their job out there. When they go to work and are assigned an exciting task, you can see the smiles light up their faces, they are really fired up for it.” [employee, ID #8, age 31–40 years, offshore experience 1–2 years].
Category 2: Work organization
Main category: Work organization | |
---|---|
Job demands
| |
work time | lengthy and tedious, overtime |
time pressure | prevalent in specific work situations |
waiting times, weather days | occurrence of waiting times, e.g. due to bad weather |
workflow | occurrence of delays and modifications |
cost pressure | high costs involved in offshore projects |
work schedule | 14 days offshore perceived as long |
personnel | too few offshore personnel |
communication on−/offshore | difficulties in the communication and information flow between colleagues onshore and offshore |
experts only: emergency medical care | knowledge of limited treatment options and lengthy emergency routes |
Job resources
| |
work time | still manageable in length |
payment | attractive remuneration |
waiting times, weather days | occasionally helpful for relaxation |
workflow | well-structured and coordinated |
work schedule | allows much free time onshore, suitable regularity |
experts only: emergency medical care | readily accessible |
experts only: medical check-ups | suitable regularity, important in its function |
Job demands
Work time
“I am here [offshore] anyway, what else is there to do? I may as well work.” [expert, ID #9, offshore experience 3–4 years].
“I was told from the very beginning that, 'yes, having to work overtime is fairly common here’ [at management level].” [employee, ID #12, age 20–30 years, offshore experience 1–2 years].
Time pressure
“When you start work and then get the message from the client that, ‘bad weather is coming, we have to hurry, hurry, hurry’ – that's a form of psychological stress.” [employee, ID #18, age 31–40 years, offshore experience > 4 years].
Waiting times, weather days
“They want to work, not just hang around. It is almost unbearable! After a week stuck on a ship, you start to feel like a rat in a cage.” [employee, ID #4, age 41–50 years, offshore experience > 4 years].
Job resources
Work schedule
“That’s an important factor for me, if not the most important factor. That I have a regular schedule and can say: OK, at that time, I’ll be away, but afterwards, I’ll be 100% at home.” [employee, ID #15, age 41–50 years, offshore experience 1–2 years].
Payment
“Financially, offshore work is always a good decision. If I'm being honest, I would have to say that that is the main reason why I do it.” [employee, ID #5, age 31–40 years, offshore experience 1–2 years].
Category 3: Work environment
Main category: Work environment | |
---|---|
Job demands
| |
weather conditions | dependency on the weather, bad weather causes work interruptions, delays and waiting times |
workplace design | confined spaces on platforms and installations |
physicochemical factors | e.g. noise, vibrations, conditioned air, artificial light, chlorinated water |
Job resources
| |
weather conditions | good weather offshore |
Job demands
Weather conditions
“The weather conditions out there are relatively extreme. When the sun is shining, it shines intensely; when the wind is blowing, it blows very hard.” [expert, ID #16, offshore experience 3–4 years].
Job resources
Weather conditions
Category 4: Social relations
Main category: Social relations | |
---|---|
Job demands
| |
conflicts with colleagues | e.g. regarding work methods or differences in remuneration |
international work environment | language barriers |
Job resources
| |
social support | good comradeship and strong support from the team |
international work environment | possibilities to improve language skills |
Job demands
“There are disputes about the fact that people receive varying compensation for the same jobs. I mean, it's loudly discussed why someone else earns more money than I do for the same type of work.” [employee, ID #16, age 31–40 years, offshore experience > 4 years].
Job resources
Social support
“It’s a really great thing that, after 14 days, you have 55 good friends here, with whom you enjoy spending your time.” [employee, ID #7, age 20–30 years, offshore experience 1–2 years].
“We all keep saying, offshore is like a small village.” [employee, ID #4, age 41–50 years, offshore experience > 4 years].
International work environment
“You meet so many new, interesting people from different countries.” [employee, ID #5, age 31–40 years, offshore experience 1–2 years].
Category 5: New forms of work
Main category: New forms of work | |
---|---|
Job demands
| |
absence from home | absence from home, family, and friends |
catering | too rich in calories, hearty, unhealthy |
accommodation | confined spaces, cramped cabins, double cabins |
opportunities for leisure activities and retreat | limited possibilities for sports, leisure activities, and retreat |
means of communication | often location dependent or only partially available |
Job resources
| |
free time at home | intensive time at home during free time onshore |
catering | healthy food offers available |
accommodation | sufficient in size |
opportunities for leisure activities and retreat | various opportunities: exercising, watching movies, playing games, reading books, participating in social activities |
Job demands
Absence from home
“Generally, the men here are ‘tough guys’. But when the telephone for calling home doesn’t work, they are suddenly 12 years old again, get really homesick, and then they are useless.” [employee, ID #8, age 31–40 years, offshore experience 1–2 years].
"It also depends on whether you're married or single. All these younger, single people have no problem working four weeks straight. Those of us who are married, however, wish they could have some more family time." [employee, ID #4, age 41–50 years, offshore experience > 4 years].
Catering
“There is meat, and then meat, and then even more meat.” [employee, ID #5, age 31–40 years, offshore experience 1–2 years].
Accommodation
“It's just how it is; where you work is where you live.” [employee, ID #3, age > 50 years, offshore experience 3–4 years].
Opportunities for leisure activities and retreat
“You actually just sit there for 14 days in this form of prison; you sit there in your cell and are very limited in your free-time activities.” [expert, ID #7, offshore experience 3–4 years].
Job resources
Free time at home
“My son is now 7 months old. When we go to baby swimming lessons I am the only dad there, because all of the other dads are at work.” [employee, ID #6, age 20–30 years, offshore experience < 1 year].
Catering
“The food is healthy. It's like when you're staying in a good hotel.” [expert, ID #12, offshore experience 3–4 years].
Employees’ needs for improvement
Category 1: Work tasks
| |
transfer and access to installations | promotion of greater awareness among the workers when accessing installations definition of maximum waiting times when accessing installations |
Category 2: Work organization
| |
communication off−/onshore | promotion of a better mutual understanding and flow of information between colleagues offshore and onshore |
personnel | increase in offshore personnel |
workflow | definition of clear work processes |
work time | changes in work tasks to avoid overtime work reduction of working hours (e.g. from 12 to 10 h) definition of break and leave regulations |
work schedule | changes in work schedule (e.g. from 14 to 10 days offshore) |
payment | increase in payment |
medical care & check-ups | establishment of uniform international standards for check-ups |
Category 3: Work environment
| |
workplace design | assurance of ergonomic workplace design |
physicochemical factors | provision of room humidifiers in cabins to avoid dry air |
Category 4: Social relations
| |
– | |
Category 5: New forms of work
| |
private and family life | assurance of stable telephone and internet connections |
accommodation | provision of single cabins of reasonable size |
catering | arrangements with catering to improve healthy diet |
opportunities for leisure activities and retreat | improvement of sports and leisure opportunities |
“I think it would make sense to reduce the 12-hour shifts. Maybe make them 10 hours... something along those lines.” [employee, ID #18, age 31–40 years, offshore experience > 4 years].
“In order to ensure that everything runs smoothly, every employee who works out here should have access to a single cabin.” [employee, ID #7, age 20–30 years, offshore experience 1–2 years].