International Standard for Remote and Offshore Medics

International Standard for Remote and Offshore Medics

International Standard for Remote and Offshore Medics

Introduction

There is a great need for workers and other personnel to work in the offshore environment , following the recent technological developments in oil and natural gas exploration . Workers have to often reside and work in locations away from the land and would be exposed to highly stressful conditions . To ensure that workers can function in an environment that does not seem hazardous to health , a separate branch of medicine has evolved , named as `Offshore Medicine . This

system of medicine would provide an environment in which the safety and the health of the employees would be ensured and also take care of occupational health issues , provide medical care and also manage conditions or disasters that arise out of the offshore or remote environment . It is important to note several general problems with the offshore or remote environment :-

The workers or employees would be exposed to several toxic substances and hazardous situations that can be a serious risk to health

The offshore unit would be located at some distance from the land and hence , immediate medical assistance at the spot would be required in to stabilize the worker and transfer them to a hospital onshore

It may be difficult to provide medical support at the site due to transfer of medical equipment , drugs and support systems to the offshore site (Norman , 1985

An academic unit was formed in Aberdeen in 1976 with the sole...