| Description | Tape 1 Side A: DAVID ALEXANDER HOGG born 19 July 1970 Inverness. Employed as Production Technician, Shell BP. Explains own role in operation, maintenance of critical oil, gas, utility systems. Previously worked as instrument technician with South of Scotland Electricity Board, Scottish Nuclear Ltd. Has worked in production offshore for 4 years. Reference to OPITO training. Currently working ashore since having a personal injury. Due offshore in July. Describes normal offshore routine in Shell. Compares own working conditions with those of other working groups. Mentions Wood Group. Details re routine of OIM (Offshore Installation Manager). Personal routines when going offshore, check-in, briefing, flights to Shetland and Brent Delta platform. Details re Scatsta, Sumburgh airports in Shetland. Details re clothing requirements, survival suits, seating on helicopter. Some flights take up to 3 hours, uncomfortable. Details re refuelling stops. Noise on helicopter. Mentions reading preferences. Details re Brent Delta production platform, its role including drilling, workovers. Improved drilling techniques. Routines after arrival, safety and emergency response briefings. Mentions female OIM on Brent Bravo. Characteristics of OIMs, their complete authority. Routines when starting work, working clothing, equipment, meeting with colleagues, handovers. Details re checks on handovers. Composition of day and night shifts, organisation of handovers. Details re meal times, coffee breaks etc. Routine of daily systems checks, log-taking, pressure tests, other duties.
Tape 1 Side B: Daily routines (cont'd). Example of problem to be dealt with e.g. after shutdown. Quite a lot of manual intervention getting wells restarted because of state of equipment. Details re work on manual valves. Explains run-down lines, oil cooling process, use of concrete storage cells, flow-lines, control valves. Need for staff to go down utility leg to 70 metres below sea level. Mentions work done by abseilers, divers. Has to go down leg every night to check for leaks, oxygen level etc. Access certificate necessary signed by oil technician. Details re ventilation system, safety equipment used. Describes situation when power goes off. Details re tests on Christmas tree, maintenance work, sampling of oil, gas. Percentages of oil, water, amount of gas in Brent Field. Describes high quality meals available including healthy options. Current attitudes to food, attitudes of chefs. No alcohol even at Christmas since incident involving explosion on Brent Delta. Afternoon routine work, eg dealing with leaks. Concern re environmental spills. Procedures dealing with run-down lines in utility leg. Erosion of valves caused by sand. Details re well-testing, isolation procedures. Own role to help people in other departments testing systems etc. High interaction between working groups compared with before. Mentions social activities. Evening routine. Mentions Safety Rep duties. Many stay in rooms, watch TV in bedrooms. Describes new, old accommodation. Smokers most social people. Explains. Mentions gym, promotion of healthy lifestyle, Medic, assistance with stopping smoking. Phone contact with home. Explains hierarchy offshore, attitude of OIM, friendly 'god', supervisors, open-door policy. Own attitude to getting on with people. Describes drilling people, their work and conditions.
Tape 2 Side A: Further details re drillers. Details re hierarchy of jobs on platform. Recalls own previous situation as contractor compared with company people. Changes to 'them and us' situation. Attitudes of catering crew, relationship of rest of crew to them. Women offshore formerly in catering, now in management, engineering positions, well educated, able to take stick from men, good at their jobs. Not many women technicians, or in maintenance. Feelings about having women offshore. Work routine hard for women back home. Some family breakdowns. Example of crew member who hanged himself. Realisations about own attitude to home life. Feelings about being offshore, availability of people to talk to, anxieties about problems at home. Describes adjustment to being home. Wife's situation, occupation. Attitude to risks offshore, travelling to work etc. Explains changed attitudes to safety, risk assessment. Importance of having confidence in colleagues, equipment. Platform is a big bomb. Explains. Any concerns brought up when on platform. Possible for anyone to shut down platform if any danger. Explains. Details re shutting down procedures. Explains SPS (Secondary Platform Shutdown) buttons. Recalls leak incident last year, controlled shutdown, details re procedures followed. Consequences of shutdown, automatic valve closures, situation for other platforms in field. Start-up normally takes 24 hours. Doesn't belong to a union. Shell techs decided against union representation, have own staff committee. Details. Brent Delta did have union members, still some OILC (Offshore Industry Liaison Committee) representation there. Explains own pre-offshore experience of a union, feelings about choice of union representation. All departments on platform have elected Safety Reps. Explains their powers through HSE (Health & Safety Executive).
Tape 2 Side B: Blank
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