Sector and hotels bid to create ‘safe havens’ for returning workers

Oil and Gas UK (OGUK) will work with hotels to create “safe havens” for returning offshore workers with suspected Covid-19 cases, Mr Stapleton said last night.

The representative body is working in conjunction with emergency coordinator the Grampian Local Resilience Group to locate and engage local hotels in Aberdeen for the use of critical oil and gas workers.

Mr Stapleton said: “We are looking at safe havens, because after the government announcement to businesses on Monday, a lot of hotels started to shut up shop and that was not the government advice to local authorities and establishments.

“Hotels can stay open for critical workers and we are currently making sure that happens.

“We have a list of hotels that will stay open in the Aberdeen area.”

Trade unions from the Offshore Co-ordinating Group (OCG) called on

OGUK to book out hotels for oil and gas workers this week, with each manned with a medical professional.

However, Mr Stapleton added he could not comment on what facilities and provisions each hotel would be supplied with.

The health and safety director said OGUK has formed a logistics group to thrash out an arrival protocol and safeguard offshore workers with suspected cases of the virus.

Mr Stapleton said: “We’ve already got taxi companies that are prepared to take suspected cases to anywhere in the UK, but that needs to be suitably risk-assessed.

“We have also engaged minibus and coach companies,” he added.

OGUK also aims to push for priority testing for crew going offshore and rights over freedom of travel.

He added: “We’ve asked that in the event of there being any further restrictions on travel that oil workers be given free right of travel across the UK. We wait on advice from government and Health Protection Scotland.”