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JCROAT Subject Matter Expert
JCROAT Subject Matter Expert
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Famine Time or Where We Stand Today

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    In November 2005 I wrote an article for Offshore Diver called FEAST Time. There was more work than we could possibly do. We had had the Twin hurricanes, divers from all over the world were working in the GOM. There was more work than we had trained commercials divers for. A quote from that article to start this one: “To the loved ones and dive team members of the three young men we have lost recently there is little we can say that will help you. What we can do is make it a better business, which may help your soul a little and the rest of us a lot. The best safety out there is watching each other’s backs. The Coast Guard and OSHA show up after the fact, neither the ADC or IMCA have any enforcement mechanism and they damn well don't want one either.”

Nothing I wrote in that article has changed, except, all the experienced dive personnel we have lost from this industry. (SEE That Article here) I believe we have reached the bottom of the worst Famine Time I have been through since coming into the Oil patch in 1969.

 

My biggest fear is another major event such as our Twin Hurricanes anywhere in a major oil field on this earth. We do not have the experienced Dive personal, up to date DSV's or the tools ready to handle that. The history of these type events that we have been through many times is: Our customers just want their problem cured, whatever work rules they have, are out the window. So what do we do?

 

It is on us, the Dive Supervisor, not the Designated person-in-charge (DPIC), the Project manager anyone else, not even the diver. Our number one job is to get them down and back safely out of the chamber. So whether anyone else on the job or in the office likes it we, the guys sitting in that chair, have to be willing to shut it down.

 

You can almost hear the old movie theme from Jaws, playing in the back ground. I do hope this Famine doesn't end like so many in the past have, instant FEAST!

 

PS: An important message to Management. You do not build an Effective, Safe, Team by surrounding yourself with people afraid to tell you the truth or are just plain liars, cover their own butts types!

Edited by John Roat


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