Latest news with #oilrig
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE I have one of the 'world's most dangerous ' jobs surrounded by men AND I'm an influencer - I don't care about the sexism
In most jobs a small mistake might result in a slap on the wrist at the very worst. But, there are some careers in which the stakes are far higher and where a minor mishap could have devastating consequences. Leidy Villamil, 30, revealed how a moment of complacency in her field could see her crushed, burned, losing a limb, or even facing a painful demise. As an offshore engineer Ms Villamil's job will often see her working with heavy machinery and high temperatures while stationed thousands of miles from land. She told MailOnline: 'I could maybe be smashed by heavy things or a pipe could slip and my hand could get squashed. 'I could lose a finger or a hand, and at the worst case, there could be a fatality.' Working on an oil rig is one of the most dangerous jobs in the world and has the third highest death rate - with 46 per 100,000 employees losing their lives. 'We have had some cases of injuries and fatalities which have happened when people haven't been aware of themselves while moving loads and have been smashed between loads', Ms Villamil said. As an Offshore engineer Ms Villamil's job will often see her working with heavy machinery and high temperatures while stationed thousands of miles from land 'There have sadly been people who were in the wrong place at the wrong moment and they have ended up being crushed between a container and a wall.' Being in a remote location adds to the 'very high' risk Ms Villamil faces at work as medical attention could be hours away. 'It is dangerous, you have to go in a chopper to a place in the middle of the sea where there is absolutely nothing around,' she said. 'You are working with the source under ground, with high pressure and high temperature, with a volatile fluid. So in terms of danger the risks are very high.' She added how workers must complete specialized training on how to survive terrifying worst case scenarios including a helicopter crash in the water. Ms Villamil became an engineer seven years ago and has worked on rigs in many different countries including the UAE, Namibia, Indonesia, spain and her native Colombia. But, despite being a seasoned professional, there is one perilous part of the job she avoids at all costs. 'In an oil platform, you have something called rotary table which is the place where all the pipes go down into the well. 'This is the most dangerous zone of an oil platform, because you are lifting these things all the time, and you are pretty much under the load. 'You are very exposed. I try to do this as little as I can,' she revealed. Offshore engineers can earn up to £100,000 per year, but Ms Villamil says she doesn't do it for the money but finds the work exciting. However, although she currently enjoys her job, things haven't always been smooth sailing and she revealed one aspect she found 'very challenging' at the beginning. Due to its physically demanding nature the oil and gas industry is heavily male dominated and plagued by sexism. 'It's very common for me to be the only woman among 200 men. There are just a few women in my field,' Ms Villamil said. 'I've experienced sexism many times. I have even had a guy trying to touch me. 'Sometimes men don't take me seriously because I'm smaller, because I try to be kind, because I'm a woman.' Ms Villamil says she used to be affected by sexism but now insists it doesn't bother her. 'At the beginning it was very challenging, but it also helps to develop strength and personality. 'If I can be honest now, I don't mind it at all. I'm perfectly fine with it. I am also a very strong character, so I don't hesitate to use it when I have to.' She also urges other women working offshore to stand up for themselves when experiencing sexism. 'I encourage them not to be afraid to speak up and fight back because we cannot allow this to happen to us', she said. 'We have the same right, the same capacity, the same everything as them (men) but sometimes they just don't catch it.' Ms Villamil says now one of the toughest parts of her job is staying in touch with her partner while she spends months at sea. 'It's really difficult. We make it work somehow, but it's really difficult', she said. 'Internet access in the platform is very challenging. You know, there are some times that we barely can send a WhatsApp message. Not even a voice message.' Ms Villamil's work also often means she is called away during festive seasons and is unable to celebrate special occasions with her family. When this has been the case rig bosses will try and lessen the blow by providing treats and entertainment for the workers. 'For Christmas and New Year's they gave us non alcoholic sparkling wine and non alcoholic beers and we played Bingo,' Ms Villamil said.
The Independent
22-05-2025
- General
- The Independent
Broken helicopter blade ‘narrowly missed' worker on oil rig, report finds
A helicopter blade 'narrowly missed' an oil rig worker after it broke while they were trying to secure the aircraft to a helipad during high winds, an investigation has found. According to an Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) report, the Airbus H175 helicopter had just ferried six passengers to the Elgin Oil Platform – about 135 nautical miles east of Aberdeen – and had landed shortly after 8am on February 17, 2023 in winds of up to 60 knots. While the crew were preparing the vehicle for its return flight, a warning alert appeared in the cockpit, and after speaking with engineers the crew were advised to shut the vehicle down. They applied the brake to stop the rotor from spinning but it 'did not fully stop', resulting in the vehicle's commander and two members of the helideck team having to tie the vehicle down in high winds with the blades still 'turning slowly'. The report explained that by about 9.30am, three 'tie-down straps' had been applied and the fourth was about to be attached when one of the turning blades suddenly 'lifted near vertical'. It said: 'With the blades still turning above, one of the blades suddenly lifted near vertical, partially breaking off near the root with the broken portion hanging down and continuing to turn. 'As it did so, it narrowly missed the single deck crew member positioned at the rear of the helicopter, who was trying to attach the final strap to the helicopter. 'The blade then separated and fell into the sea.' At this point the crew decided it was too dangerous and retreated back into the rig's accommodation block, and over the next one hour 40 minutes three of the remaining four blades also broke and were later found on the helideck. The helicopter showed 'multiple impact marks' from where blades had struck it, including cracks and holes in the left pilot seat's window and the loss of the external emergency door handle. The report sets out a number of causes for the incident, as well as making six safety recommendations. It notes that at about 6.45am while the helicopter was being towed out of the hangar in Aberdeen, ground staff had noticed the rotor was turning despite the brake being applied. However the engineering staff said they had not been made aware of this so no checks were carried out prior to the aircraft taking off. It was subsequently found that a 'build-up of organic material' in the braking system had caused one of the pads to seize, resulting in the brake being unable to stop the rotor when it was being driven by the wind. The report also comments on the effect of the high winds from Storm Otto, which was passing through the area at the time. It states while measured wind speeds on the helipad were below the 60 knot limit for landing a helicopter, the windward edge of the helipad was 'subject to vertical wind speeds considerably in excess of the limit in force at the time'. This was due, it said, to the 'cliff edge' effect caused by the accommodation block on which the pad had been built, which pushed winds up vertically when they hit the block and made them stronger as they passed over the pad. Coupled with the fact it had not been possible to tie the turning blades down, this resulted in 'blade sailing', with the helicopter's blades being bent upwards by the wind in an 'ever-increasing arc' until they reached breaking point. The report's recommendations include changes to wind measurement on rig helipads and the inclusion of improved rotor brake maintenance processes in the Airbus EC175 manual.
