Working Off-Shore

Gazhay

Well-Known Member
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48
Re: working offshore

I wasn't diabetic when I held my offshore safety cert, but I seem to recall it does effect things.

I'm sure they can't refuse you on diabetes, but it will make things harder.
If you are a specialist or IT support you might have more favourable shifts while offshore, so might be ok.
 

cugila

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Re: working offshore

sigram said:
Does anyone work offshore with type 1 , just been made redundant and looking to go offshore


Hi sigram.

OGUK Offshore Medicals (formerly known as UKOOA)
You will need to pass an Offshore Medical Examination if you wish to work offshore.
The OGUK Offshore Medical is valid for two years and allows you to work in the UK sector or the North Sea.
An OGUK Offshore Medical at one company Abermed consists of the following:
Screening:-
Completion of Patient Questionnaire
Urinalysis – routine urine test with immediate result
BMI – measurement of height, weight and calculation of Body Mass Index
Near Distance and Colour Vision
Pulse and Blood Pressure Measurement
Lung Function Test (peak flow)
Audiogram (hearing test)
Consultation with a doctor.


Here is a link to an Aberdeen based company which specialises in offshore medicals and all that entails. As you are a Type 1 and on Insulin it is not a clear NO, neither is it a clear YES. Have a read of the FAQ's. They can probably give you a better idea. Diet alone and other meds seem to be OK, it appears to be Insulin which may be a stumbling block ?

http://www.arkoh.co.uk/index.asp?id=9&r ... ID=32#FAQ1

An extract abouit major conditions such as Diabetes....

If I have some health issues can I still pass the medical ?
Certain major health conditions such as epilepsy, diabetes, angina, or previous heart attacks can prevent you from passing the offshore medical examination at the time. However, you may be able to pass with a favourable specialist report. This will incur additional costs. If you know or think you have a major health issue, Ark strongly recommends you schedule your offshore medical before starting any training. You may find the answer to your particular question below; if not please contact Ark for more information.

I am sure there are more companies who offer the medicals. You need to speak with one of them and get the LATEST and vitally, the CORRECT information about this before you go ahead with anything. Hope you can move forward and get a new job with this information.
 

sigram

Newbie
Messages
2
Re: working offshore

Thanks for the info , will be giving it a go and will let you know how i get on, thanks again
 

jameEGB

Newbie
Messages
1
Re: working offshore

sigram said:
Thanks for the info , will be giving it a go and will let you know how i get on, thanks again

I am also currently seeking employment offshore and I have contacted one of the companies, Ark Occupational Health, that provide you with your medical certificate and currently awaiting a reply, as it states on their site that you may be able to gain employment offshore with Type 1, but there are special circumstances involved as cugila has said.
But I was just curious if you managed to gain employment, or not, yourself? Thanks in advance for any info.
 

Jim H

Active Member
Messages
34
In my type of work (Mechanical Fitting), I could, if I wanted to (once trained), work on an oil rig, off-shore. However I have read many conflicting things saying that Diabetics are not aloud to do this. See http://www.diabetes.org.uk/MyLife-YoungAdults/Work-and-study/Job-hunting/

I can understand if you are take insulin and/or a Type 1, as if you have difficulties getting to a hospital is a problem. However for people like me who are Type 2 and controls it very well, I can't see the problem.

So what is the definitive answer. Can I go Off-Shore or not?
 

cugila

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Here is a link to a previous Topic entitled 'Working offshore'. I think you will find your question answered there. I will leave this for a while and then merge it with that existing Topic.

viewtopic.php?f=19&t=10518&hilit=+offshore&p=98509#p98446

Ken

Edit: Merged with pre-existing Topic.
 

cugila

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No problem Jim....it was tucked away in Type 1 Diabetes. :)
We didn't have this Emploment section then.

Ken
 

ags1983

Member
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15
Hi just thought i would add my 2 pence to this thread. This is about 2 years ago now so unsure if things have changed in the meantime.
With the company im with atm, an opening came up for off shore work (doing repairs and calibrations of equipment in situ on oil platforms). Went to Abermed for the off shore medical and passed everything, that was until the final examination with the doctor. She said that even though i had passed everything with no problems, the fact i was insulin dependent t1 meant that there were big restrictions on what i could do. The short of it was basically had to get my GP to write to abermed stating that my diabetes was well controlled and was causing me no problems.
But even with this, the medical cert would be a restricted one. Meaning that it would only cover me for one platform (not much use for me,since the scope of work means the company covers many platforms) and it would only cover me for a few days offshore (also not much use as trips can last for a few days to a few weeks.

Hope this has been of some help, but for me it just meant i was confined to dry land, and not so much money if i had got the offshore work too :)