MANAGING OFFSHORE INSTALLATIONS

There are no standard selection or training procedures for the Offshore Installation Manager (OIM) post, but in the new UK Safety Case regime, employers of OIMs will now be required to demonstrate that they have assessed the competence of their OIMs to manage offshore emergencies. To date, there has been no published research into this unusual and important management position. This article presents a summary of the results from a survey of OIMs carried out in the summer of 1991. The project aim was to collect descriptive data on the career paths and training experiences of existing OIMs and to examine their perceptions of the responsibilities, demands and satisfactions of the OIM's job. The survey team distributed 337 questionnaires to OIMs in 15 operating and 19 drilling/support companies. OIMs completed it anonymously. A total of 134 questionnaires were returned: 51 percent from production installations, 40 percent from drilling rigs and 9 percent from service installations.