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This article examines the fathering practices of men in mobile work in the petroleum industry in Norway. In particular, it analyses the spatial mobility of these men and how their absence and presence impact their fathering. Drawing on insights from gendered migration and mobility studies, fathering and 'new material' approaches, this article nuances the understanding of current fathering practices by showing how physical absence does not necessarily imply emotional absence and by identifying changing fathering practices among skilled working-class men. This study also suggests that these fathering practices challenge dominant ideas of parenting, which tend to be based on studies of mothering practices. This study uses life course interviews, observations and 'travel along' experiences. The findings demonstrate that being attentive to absence and presence, the agency of materialities, gender and fathers' perspectives may broaden our understanding of fathering in mobile work and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

and valid for statistical analysis (77) The data was reached with a set of results, the most important of which are: 1- The results of the statistical analysis showed a significant correlation between the structural dimensions and the marketing performance at the macro and micro level, which shows the correlation between the marketing performance of the surveyed company and specifically the distribution component and the structural dimensions adopted in the design and formulation of its organizational structure. 2- Invest the positive effects of the structural dimensions and their implications in the marketing performance of the company investigated in a way that gives the best picture can be planted in the mind of the customer benefiting from its activities and marketing operations. 3- Adopting the modern technical by the Organization and benefiting from it in communicating with all parties related to its operations and marketing activities. 4- It is necessary that the company cares about its customers of different types and requirements, because they are the reason for their existence and the source of their revenues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Between 2010 and 2015, North Dakota’s economy was out of sync with the rest of the U.S. As a result of the Bakken oil boom, unemployment registered approximately 1% in northwestern North Dakota while the rest of the country suffered the lingering effects of the Great Recession. As one of the only sharply growing economies during that time, job seekers descended from every state in search of high-paying oilfield jobs. The majority of those job seekers were men, and this study examines how the hypermasculinized environment altered perceptions of safety and security for men and women living in the Bakken. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aim of this study was to assess short-term changes in pulmonary function in drill floor workers currently exposed to airborne contaminants generated as a result of drilling offshore. We also aimed to study the prevalence of pulmonary fibrosis using high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) scans of another group of previously exposed drill floor workers.Methods: Pulmonary function was measured before and after a 14-day work period in a follow-up study of 65 drill floor workers and 65 referents. Additionally, 57 other drill floor workers exposed to drilling fluids during the 1980s were examined with HRCT of the lungs in a cross-sectional study.Results: The drill floor workers had a statistically significant decline in forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) across the 14-day work period after adjustment for diurnal variations in pulmonary function (mean 90 mL, range 30-140 mL), while the small decline among the referents (mean 20 mL, range − 30 to 70 mL) was not of statistical significance. Larger declines in FEV1 among drill workers were associated with the fewer number of days of active drilling. There were no signs of pulmonary fibrosis related to oil mist exposure among the other previously exposed drill floor workers.Conclusion: After 14 days offshore, a statistically significant decline in FEV1 was observed in the drill floor workers, which may not be related to oil mist exposure. No pulmonary fibrosis related to oil mist exposure was observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exposure to Technologically Enhanced Naturally Occurring Nuclear Radioactive Material (TENORM) from oil and gas drilling and production activities can have effects on both the environment and workers involved in the industry. There is a significant lack of available information regarding dynamic modeling and risk assessment of TENORM occupational exposure in the oil and gas industry, and available studies show that workers in the field are at risk of being exposed to varying levels of radiation. This paper presents a methodology to bridge this knowledge gap by modeling workforce TENORM radiation exposure at different oil and gas operation stages. This was achieved by integrating SHIPP (System Hazard Identification, Prediction and Prevention) Methodology And Rational Theory (SMART approach). The SMART approach was applied to develop an integrated framework for TENORM occupational exposure risk assessment. Application of the proposed approach is illustrated with a scenario, and outcomes from modeling this scenario explain how system degraded as a function of safety barrier performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Work-related stress and its causes are among the most important issues which can seriously challenge organizational efficiency and employees' health. Different occupational environments and groups have different levels of job stress. The present study aimed to investigate relationships between job stress and its dimensions with three occupational groups (administrative, administrative-operational, and operational) among a subsidiary company workers of Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Company. Methods The present study had descriptive-analytical and cross-sectional type and was conducted among 468 out of 503 employees (with entry condition of a year of work experience as well as an official and contractual membership) volunteered to participate in research. Data collection tools included demographic questions and job stress questionnaire as well as human resource department information to determine occupational group of employees. Descriptive statistics, statistical tests, Independent test, and oneway ANOVA in addition to SPSS 21 software were used for data analysis. Results There were significant relationships between age, education levels, work experience and smoking with mean score of job stress (P-value <0.05). Mean score of employees' job stress in operational occupation group was significantly higher than other two occupational groups (P-value=0.004), and there were significant relationships between employees' occupational group variables with five dimensions of job stress (demand, relationships and role, managerial support, and peer support) (P-value<0.05). There were not any significant relationships between other variables and job stress (Pvalue> 0.05). Conclusions Exposure to different occupational harmful agents, facing with different safety risks, being far from family, heavy workload, and uncertain employee roles have significantly increased job stress in both operational and executive occupation groups compared to other two occupational groups; hence, there is a positive correlation between high job stress and operational jobs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extraction of oil and natural gas is an emerging source of anthropogenic disturbance that threatens wild populations and important wildlife habitats. We compared daily nest survival estimates of killdeer Charadrius vociferous at graveled oil pads to those that nested on native grass cover in western Oklahoma, USA in 2015 and 2017. We conducted weekly searches for nesting killdeer around oil pads and in pastures (grass cover) at the Packsaddle Wildlife Management Area April–June. Killdeer showed a strong selection for graveled oil pad over grass fields with 64% of all nest attempts occurring on oil pads. A higher proportion (64%) of the nests we found were in the gravel substrates of oil pads, and daily nest survival estimates for oil pad nests were lower than our estimates for nests in grass substrates. We also identified a difference in edge effects between the two nesting substrates with the probability of nest survival on oil pads highest closer to the edge of the patches and the probability of nest survival in grass cover highest in the interior of the patches. This is an indication that risk of nest failure on oil pads increased towards areas of high human use: Nest failure on oil pads was almost entirely due to destruction by moving vehicles and by oil workers performing routine operations at well sites. Our results demonstrate that modified landscapes attract native species but could function as ecological traps. Management efforts to reduce the effect of oil and natural gas development or similar forms of human land use modifications on co‐occurring nesting birds will benefit from reduction in habitat conversion and incorporation of natural gas developments into conservation planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Petroleum operations in the Barents Sea require personal protective clothing (PPC) to ensure the safety and performance of the workers. This paper describes the accomplishment of a user-centred design process of new PPC for offshore workers operating in this area. The user-centred design process was accomplished by mixed-methods. Insights into user needs and context of use were established by group interviews and on-the-job observations during a field-trip. The design was developed based on these insights, and refined by user feedback and participatory design. The new PPC was evaluated via field-tests and cold climate chamber tests. The insight into user needs and context of use provided useful input to the design process and contributed to tailored solutions. Providing users with clothing prototypes facilitated participatory design and iterations of design refinement. The group interviews following the final field test showed consensus of enhanced user satisfaction compared to PPC in current use. The final cold chamber test indicated that the new PPC provides sufficient thermal protection during the 60 min of simulated work in a wind-chill temperature of -25°C. Conclusion: Accomplishing a user-centred design process contributed to new PPC with enhanced user satisfaction and included relevant functional solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is the first study from Pakistan to report the exposure of petrol filling workers ( n = 120) to naphthalene ( Nap) and pyrene ( Pyr) in relation to their functional capacities and health outcome. A group of non-exposed subjects (controls n = 46) was also recruited for comparison. The perceived health risk of the exposed workers was monitored using a questionnaire based on the self-reporting survey. The observed physical anomalies related to the health disorder included the acidity after meals, eye redness, appetite loss, skin lesions, and dryness of oral cavity, while those related to neurasthenic symptoms included the body aches, energy loss, twitching, fatigue, sleeplessness, fainting, and irritability. Mean Nap level observed in the exposed group (106 μg L) was significantly correlated ( r = 0.49; p < 0.01) with cigarette smoking, while the average Pyr concentration (19.18 μg L) was associated with job duration. Workers exposed for 6 h per day or more had significantly high prevalence of physical disorders (OR = 2.79, 95% CI = 1.28-6.09). Neurasthenic symptoms were found in 65% of the subjects and were associated with years of involvement in job. Ten years or more work duration at petrol pumps could be associated with a substantial development of neurasthenic effects (OR = 2.80, 95% CI = 1.23-6.34). In conclusion, the subjects ascribed the disturbances in physical and neurological behavior to their occupation (petrol filling) and also rated their overall health and functional capacity as poor. To promote health of petrol pump workers, reduction in work hours and provision of masks and gloves could be introduced as occupational health interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate how companies are handling the issue of knowledge retention from old age retiring workers in the oil and gas sector. This is achieved by providing a detailed insight on the challenges and strategies related to knowledge retention through study of companies from different geographical locations across the globe.Design/methodology/approach The study adopts a qualitative research methodology and 20 semi-structured interviews, with open-ended and probing questions, were conducted to gain an in-depth insight into the knowledge retention phenomena.Findings Knowledge retention activities tend to be inconsistent in majority of the oil and gas companies, with not much work being done regarding knowledge loss from old employees, partly because of the fall in oil prices and layoffs. Oil prices turn out to be a decisive factor in oil and gas industry regarding workforce and knowledge retention activities. The political situation and geographical locations of the companies also affect the knowledge retention activities. Moreover, the aging workforce and retirement issue is more acute in the upstream sector.Research limitations/implications The focus of the study was on the oil and gas sector, and thus the research results may lack generalizability.Originality/value This paper fulfills an identified need for investigating the issues and challenges of knowledge retention regarding old age retiring employees by taking into account a global perspective and providing a comparison among different companies in different geographical locations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Due to the challenge of conducting observations of drilling team behaviours on an offshore installation during actual operations, a high fidelity simulator provided the opportunity to observe team behaviours when managing complex and uncertain situations. Aim. This article describes how such observations were used to develop a team behavioural marker framework subsequently used for debriefing. Method. Team behaviours and interactions were recorded during 25 simulator-based training exercises which had been integrated into a technical training course. These were then analysed, and four dimensions, with example behaviours, were identified. Results. The behavioural markers formed the basis of training objectives, and provided structure for debriefing team performance. The use of the simulator provided concrete examples of both effective and ineffective behaviours. Conclusions. Notable improvements in drilling team interactions and behaviours were noted over the course of five exercises, which ranged in complexity and uncertainty, throughout the training course. Enhancing team non-technical skills will lead to safer and more effective performance, and facilitate the transfer from training to actual operations. Team members also became more familiar with the concepts and terminology of non-technical skills and integrated behavioural markers into workplace practices such as Tool Box Talks, Stop Work Authority, and Time-Outs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our paper investigates young and early career mobile workers as well as their home communities in the Okanagan Valley. By using random selection methodology and open-ended interviews, this paper further explores two inter-related objectives: (a) mobile workers' relative deprivation from unemployment and poor financial management planning / skills; and (b) impacts on family/relationships. Initial findings indicate multiple issues ranging from limited or zero savings to lack of awareness in financial management and strain on family life. Building upon that, the findings further offer broader perspectives. For example, rising inflation combined with a stagnant wage could lead to a deepening economic inequality. Finally, this paper also aims to identify measures that can be implemented through public-private initiatives to enable the laid off oil workers to transition into Kelowna's thriving construction and housing sector, among others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present study was to assess atypical changes in urothelial cells among petroleum station workers. This is a case control study, investigating 300 participants by cytological methods. Of the 300 participants, 150 were cases (exposed to petroleum products) and 150 were controls (non-exposed). Full voided urine was obtained and was cytologically assessed. Cytological atypia was identified in nine (6%) out of the 150 cases and could not be identified in 141/150 (94%) of the cases, whereas, in the control group, cytological atypia was recognized in four (2.7%) of the 150 controls and could not be identified in 146/150 (97.3%). The risk associated with petroleum product exposure, the odds ratio (OR), and 95% confidence interval (CI) was 2.33 (0.7015-7.7378), P=0.1673. Exposure of petroleum station workers to petroleum products increases the risk of urothelial atypical changes, which may progress to precancerous and cancerous changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This article explores masculinities and changes in men's lives in the rural oil fields of Chad during the period of an oil and pipeline project described by the World Bank as a 'model' for oil-as-development. In many parts of Africa, private sector investment is concentrated in the extractive industries, especially oil and gas projects. Africa's emerging oil economies entail new institutional configurations, or what Michael Watts called an 'oil complex,' that challenge antecedent norms and forms of identity. In this article, I describe the expectations, desires, and experiences of three distinct groups of men-those who found temporary employment on the project, those who continued to make a living from farming while contending with land expropriation, and those who migrated to oil field towns in search of work-to make three general points about the oil complex and masculinities in Chad. The structure of the global oil industry meant that local men who found jobs on the project could act as breadwinners and patriarchs, but only temporarily; local workers struggled post-employment with their exclusion from the possibilities associated with the project. Men who never found jobs continued to eke out a living from the land, but state-of-the-art policies governing land expropriation led simultaneously to conflict in families and greater economic interdependence among family members. Finally, in the low-media environment of the oil field region, ideas and images about sex, sexuality, and love emanating from the transient and hyper-masculine global oil industry workforce served as models for landless young men who migrated to oil field towns and who, in the absence of work, sought to transform themselves into objects of desire through the mediation of pharmaceuticals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Petroleum refinery workers' exposure to the carcinogens benzene and 1,3-butadiene has decreased during normal operations. However, certain occupational groups or events at the refineries still involve a risk of higher exposures. The aim of this study was to examine the personal exposure to benzene and 1,3-butadiene at refinery turnarounds and during work in the oil harbour. Methods: Personal exposure measurements of benzene and 1,3-butadiene were taken during work shifts, with a priori assumed higher benzene exposure, using PerkinElmer diffusive samplers filled with Carbopack X. Mean exposure levels were calculated, and repeated exposure measurements, when available, were assessed using mixed effect models. Group and individual compliance with the Swedish occupational exposure limit (OEL) was tested for the different exposure groups. Results: Mean benzene exposure levels for refinery workers during the three measured turnarounds were 150, 610 and 960 µg/m, and mean exposures for oil harbour workers and sewage tanker drivers were 310 and 360 µg/m, respectively. Higher exposures were associated with handling benzene-rich products. Most occupational groups did not comply with the Swedish OEL for benzene nor did the individuals within the groups. The exposure to 1,3-butadiene was very low, between <1 and 3 % of the Swedish OEL. Conclusions: Work within the petroleum refinery industry, with potential exposure to open product streams containing higher fractions of benzene, pose a risk of personal benzene exposures exceeding the OEL. Refinery workers performing these work tasks frequently, such as contractors, sewage tanker drivers and oil harbour workers, need to be identified and protected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent oil and gas sector reforms in Mexico transform protections on petroleum resources and labour that were implemented as a result of the 1938 nationalisation of the country's oil industry. This paper examines the Etileno XXI project, a private petrochemical plant led by a Brazilian firm and supported by Mexican and transnational capital, which manifests the role of early 21st-century global commodity markets in restructuring Mexico's energy sector. Etileno XXI is described as a major step toward privatising petrochemical processing in the country and as a significant creator of jobs, albeit low wage, at the site of production. Yet the project and corresponding oil-sector reforms will have impacts on the surrounding area that compromise pre-existing livelihoods both ecologically and via erosion of earlier protections on labour secured through the national oil workers union. The article thus argues for a conceptualisation of displacement induced by extractive industry that incorporates into its analysis the effects of industrial restructuring and expansion on extant production relations, in both the short and longer term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Fast urbanization trends, rapid industrial growth, globalization, and poor environmental conditions at work places have created a lot of health-related issues. Aim and Objectives: The aim of this study is to investigate Peak Expiratory Flow Rate (PEFR) as the assessment of lung function in occupationally exposed petrol pump workers and also check whether PEFR increases or decreases with duration of exposure. Material and Methods: The study was conducted on 60 male petrol pump workers between age group of 20-40 years who were working as petrol filling attendants for more than one year from western Maharashtra. 50 normal healthy males with same socioeconomic status were chosen as controls to find out the effect of occupational exposure to petroleum product on PEFR as the assessment of lung function tests. Petrol pump workers were divided into three groups based on their duration of exposure i.e. 1- 5 yrs, 6- 10 yrs and more than 11 years. PEFR of petrol pump workers and control was measured by using a Mini Wright peak flow meter which is a portable device for measuring ventilator functions. Comparisons was done using unpaired t-test for 2 groups comparisons and one way ANOVA for multiple groups of exposures. Results: The PEFR was significantly lower decrease (p=0.001) around petrol pump workers (389.17) as compared to control (534.2. As year of exposure increased mean value of PEFR was significantly decreased from 452.17, 378.00 and 283.64 respectively in petrol pump workers. Conclusion: The results suggested that respiratory functions i.e. PEFR of occupationally exposed petrol pump workers are significantly reduced as compared to controls, also PEFR is significantly reduced with increase in the duration of exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2013, an occupational medicine physician from the University of California, San Francisco, contacted CDC's National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) about two oil and gas extraction worker deaths in the western United States. The suspected cause of these deaths was exposure to hydrocarbon gases and vapors (HGVs) and oxygen (O2)-deficient atmospheres after opening the hatches of hydrocarbon storage tanks. The physician and experts from NIOSH and OSHA reviewed available fatality reports from January 2010 to March 2015, and identified seven additional deaths with similar characteristics (nine total deaths). Recommendations were made to industry and regulators regarding the hazards associated with opening hatches of tanks, and controls to reduce or eliminate the potential for HGV exposure were proposed. Health care professionals who treat or evaluate oil and gas workers need to be aware that workers might report symptoms of exposure to high concentrations of HGVs and possible O2 deficiency; employers and workers need to be aware of this hazard and know how to limit exposure. Medical examiners investigating the death of oil and gas workers who open tank hatches should consider the contribution of O2 deficiency and HGV exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

El artículo discurre sobre la empresa petrolera colombiana Ecopetrol, con un enfoque en sus relaciones industriales. El autor comenta sobre la representación de los trabajadores de Ecopetrol por la Unión Sindical Obrera (USO). También se considera la historia de la industria petrolera en Colombia desde principios del siglo 20.

Rural economic decline in the United States has contributed to new situational conditions under which men construct masculinity. Under these conditions, men define jobs and activities that were feminized during periods of economic stability as masculine. One exception to rural economic decline for men is economic growth associated with oil and natural gas development in geographical hot spots throughout the United States and around the world. Employment opportunities in the oil and gas industry largely favor men; however, it is unclear what effect this development has on local men because itinerant extralocal male workers complete most of the labor. This article conceptualizes masculinity as a social structure, and uses economic reports and theoretically distinct literatures on natural-resource-based masculinities and energy boomtowns to illuminate how multinational energy companies and a predominantly extralocal, male itinerant workforce in Pennsylvania's Marcellus Shale region cause adverse situational conditions for local men's constructions of masculinity. Within the new masculine structure, extralocal men's constructions of hegemonic masculinity become more important for defining the local socially dominant masculinity, which subordinates local men's constructions of nonhegemonic masculinities in their own communities. The article concludes with a discussion of how the oil and gas industry's hegemonic masculinity impedes sustainable economic development and community well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]