Study To Address Worker Safety In Offshore Renewable Energy Operations
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) has announced the start of a new study that will focus on regulating worker safety in the rapidly expanding offshore renewable energy field.
According to its August 1 announcement, the federal bureau has engaged the National Research Council’s Marine Board to carry out the study, which will consider worker safety issues in connection with offshore renewable energy operations on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). The study should be completed within one year, no later than the end of July 2012.
BOEMRE indicates that the study will identify particular hazards in the offshore energy operations workplace, including a variety of risks associated with construction and maintenance of offshore wind turbines. At its conclusion the study is to identify areas not adequately addressed in current regulations, and make recommendations on means of enhancing workplace safety regulation.
“We are committed to ensuring that offshore energy development is conducted safely,” said BOEMRE Director Michael R. Bromwich. “The results of this study will enhance and enlarge our understanding of the potential risks faced by workers during construction and operation of renewable energy facilities on the OCS.”
The maritime injury attorneys at Arnold & Itkin LLP applaud all efforts to improve worker safety in offshore energy operations, whether in the field of renewable or non-renewable energy production.
Working in the offshore energy field is an inherently dangerous job. The developers, owners and operators of offshore renewable energy sources are obliged to ensure that they adopt the best procedures, and provide the best equipment, to prevent accidents and preserve the health and lives of their workers. As has been demonstrated all too often in the offshore oil industry, when that doesn’t happen, it is the workers and their families who suffer the consequences.
In some cases, offshore workers’ injuries may be covered under the Jones Act, a federal law that protects seamen who are injured or killed on the job due to the negligence of their employers. While Jones Act settlements can assist families in coping with the injuries and pain and suffering that accompany accidents at sea, preventing accidents by maintaining rigorous workplace safety is always the best “remedy” for Gulf Coast workers.
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