Offshore Medicine : Medical Care of Employees in the Offshore Oil Industry

Thirty years' close assocIatIOn with the Oil Industry has been a fascinating and stimulating experience; fascinating because the Oil Industry itself is so full of interest and stimulating because of the challenges which changes in technology have brought about. No longer is oil easily obtainable and no longer can oil be found in exotic regions of the globe. On the contrary, if oil is required it is more likely to be found in the bitter Alaskan ice-fields or in the cold depths of the North Sea, where environments are hostile to man and a challenge to technology. Man's own activities in such hostile environments have created new problems and new hazards. The saga of oil exploration and production in the North Sea has been and continues to be written, but little has been recorded of the hazards inflicted on the men who are faced with the task of implementing this new technology. This book is almost a medical history of the North Sea activities and provides information gained by hard won experience to those involved not only in the North Sea but in any offshore oil operation, wherever it may be. Front Matter....Pages I-XVI Introduction....Pages 1-19 Legal Aspects of Safety, Health and Welfare on the United Kingdom Continental Shelf....Pages 20-33 Pre-placement and Periodic Medical Examinations....Pages 34-42 Provision of Back-up Services....Pages 43-52 Offshore Medical Care....Pages 53-78 Some Special Problems....Pages 79-94 Diving....Pages 95-117 Catering and Hygiene....Pages 118-130 Dental Problems Offshore....Pages 131-136 Investigation of Fatal and Non-Fatal Accidents....Pages 137-148 Back Matter....Pages 149-208