Hot take on the Gulf rigs - I think the 30 minute bottom time limit is too strict

I was working a job off the Louisiana coast near Grand Isle last month, a 6 day stint patching a corroded riser on an old platform. Conditions were good, viz was clear, but we had to abort after 28 minutes because of the hard limit, leaving a bolt half-tightened that will probably need a whole new dive. Am I the only one who thinks we should push for more flexible rules when the environment is safe, or is that just asking for trouble?

2 comments

2 Comments

drew_thomas914d ago

Ha! Yeah, let's just toss the safety book out the window because one bolt was being stubborn. I'm sure the lawyers would love that one.

the_dylan14d ago

Respectfully, I see it a bit different. Sometimes the book is written by people who never had to get something done in a real shop with a deadline. You can follow every rule to the letter and still end up with a job that takes twice as long as it needs to. One bolt being stubborn doesn't mean you throw caution out the window, it means you use your head and decide if a little heat or a different angle is safe enough. Lawyers aren't standing over your shoulder every second, and half the time their rules are written for the lowest common denominator anyway. Not saying you go full cowboy, but there's a middle ground between the safety book and getting the job done right.