Two man teams with WROV?

[Pete Win]

Whats everyone’s feeling about working in a two man team? Yes i know all about IMCA004 and that it says you need 3 per shift….

[deepseacon]

Who is asking you to work on a Work Class ROV with only two crew on shift on then?

[James McLauchlan]

For WROV’s three is an industry given and two person teams should not be up for debate.

Follow IMCA guidelines and all will be well if the shit hits the fan and legal action follows.

I’d not want to be the one sitting in the corporate office if someone was injured or killed whilst comprising part of a two man team when industry guideline recommends crews of three on WROV’s These days when things go wrong offshore HSE/the courts hunt down the onshore decision makers to answer for their actions when adhering to the law or industry guidelines.

Why are you asking?

[Paul Robson]

Boysie,
unfortunately this seems to be the way companys are going just to same money. I know of one company that has a trencher and a work rov on it. The work rov only has a two man team and the trencher guys have to keep jumping across to help out. However, as normally happens when the trencher is out the water is normally because its unserviceable so when the ROV goes in to survey etc during the trencher downtime the trencher maintenance suffers or the rov guys have to make do with 2 people and never get a break. The system simply doesnt work but keeps getting pushed. It wont change till there is an accident or serious down time.

[Pete Win]

You have hit the nail on the head there…. The real question is how do you let the office know its unsafe just to save a few bucks? Im not going to name and shame.

[K2]

Although there are six bodies on many teams I work with, it is sometimes like working with a two man team as four members consist of trainees, non ROV personnel and/ or just clowns with no idea. Makes work doubly difficult but on the flip-side it gives me reason to demand better rates.

Boysie, your office must know the score. Tell them straight and include the link to IMCA as a reference. Trouble is that windfarm job has been going on a couple of years and although guys mank and moan, no-one appears to have done anything about it. Slap in a hazop card and down tools, that will stop the job and someone will have to answer for it. H*ll*n have run that sub with no real problem with a 4-man team and got away with it so it will probably continue that way.

Adios

[T-Boy]

H*ll*n have run that sub with no real problem with a 4-man team and got away with it so it will probably continue that way.

That doesn’t make it right…

In my experience it either takes A) an accident unfortunately to right the situation
or B) Someone with the balls to stand up for what they believe in; i.e Safety OVER money and vote with their tools/feet.

So, to answer your question, No, I feel it is unsafe to run a fully operational WROV with just two peeps. And yes, I’ve tried it!

[James McLauchlan]

So… where is the job? What is the company and are they an IMCA member?

Post it up here and someone that makes a difference may read it. Don’t post that information and for sure nothing will be read and therefore there will be no chance of anything being improved.

[K2]

T-boy

I can see your point re 3-man teams on a work class sub however the sub in question here is a teeny Hallin Quasar and the workscope is monitoring with a bit of manip work for pull-ins. It ain’t heavy construction with a ton of tooling and intensive piloting otherwise they just couldn’t do it. Perhaps this is factored in by the owners?

We do not know the official contract either. It may be written in that CTC’s trencher guys provide a third man as required to make up the full team due to bed space but this has not been utilised? Both subs have not been in water at the same time to my knowledge and the trencher is / was in good order so the trencher guys have been/ are being used as GDBs although I know of one trencher guy who refused to peform duties of an AB on the personnel transfer boat as it was not in his contract and he was concerned over insurance issues should something happen whilst acting as an AB when he was contracted as an ROV guy.

As I mentioned earlier, what’s the difference between a 4 man team who are more than capable as with the Hallin girls or a six man team with only two capable guys in it? From my experience of these situations the six man team, 4 men down, is far more dangerous.

Controversial subject but at the end of the day safety first so stop the job and get things sorted. If it doesn’t get sorted then walk away.

Stay Safe

😉

[Roy Simson]

I can confirm that companys are cutting back on crew size as as one of my
colleagues working for Fugro Middle East over in Qatar with Panther doing 24 hour ops platform inspection with just a 3 man crew .

Now a Panther is not a work class vehicle but even so 24 hour ops with just 3 guys is pushing it a bit all this is because they are unable to get crew at the rates on offer .

Over the years we were all ways told if you see some thing unsafe stop the job try and do that now days and your find your self on the next chopper .

Good Luck

Raptor

[deepseacon]

If its 3 man ops on 24 hr Fugro job ME job i would be happy for the Chopper so be it..

Plenty of other jobs to go on!!!!!!!!!.

[Ray Shields]

You may also like to check the insurance warranties for your companies ROVs as I know at least one that says that a Pilot is not allowed to fly more than 6 hours in any 24 hour period (e.g. 6 hrs in a shift assuming 12 hr shifts).

And this is an insurance requirement, not a company policy. Bearing in mind this is flying flying not sitting in tms or on seabed etc.

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