FACTS

1. Floating derricks they may include barges, semi-submersibles, or specialized vessels designed to accommodate the crane or derrick equipment.
2. Floating derricks are equipped with cranes or derricks that have lifting capacity can range from several tons to hundreds of tons.
3. Offshore Operations: Floating derricks are used in oil and gas exploration and production, offshore wind energy, marine construction, and maintenance of offshore structures.
4. Floating derricks provide accommodations for personnel living quarters, dining facilities, recreational areas, and support services to sustain the workforce.
5. Many modern floating derricks are equipped with dynamic positioning systems. To maintain the vessel’s position without the need for anchors.
6. Floating derricks must adhere to environmental regulations and guidelines to minimize their impact on the surrounding ecosystem.
7. Workers on floating derricks often engage in crew transfer operations to and from the vessel using helicopters, crew boats, or other means of transportation.
8. Floating derricks are often deployed in remote offshore locations, far from shore or land-based infrastructure.
9. Floating derricks may be supported by other vessels such as supply ships, anchor handling vessels, or tugboats.

STATS

• Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries. In contrast, most construction fatalities involving derricks are caused by contact with objects and equipment (e.g., struck by a falling crane). Contact with objects and equipment accounted for 71% of crane-related deaths of workers in the construction industry.
• The U.S. oil and gas extraction industry (onshore and offshore, combined) had a collective fatality rate seven times higher than for all U.S. workers (27.1 versus 3.8 deaths per 100,000 workers). The 11 lives lost in the Deepwater Horizon explosion provide a reminder of the hazards involved in offshore drilling.
• 128 fatalities in activities related to offshore oil and gas operations occurred during this period. Transportation events were the leading cause (65 [51%]); the majority of these involved aircraft (49 [75%]). Nearly one fourth (31 [24%]) of the fatalities occurred among workers whose occupations were classified as “transportation and material moving.”