Prudhoe Bay Oil Field work FAQ

Transcription

1 Prudhoe Bay Oil Field work FAQ 1. What is it like there? a. Prudhoe Bay is a coastal remote Arctic oilfield at the top of Alaska that is 500 miles away from civilization. The terrain is flat, windy and experiences EXTREME Arctic conditions. 2. What are the living conditions? a. Room and Board are provided by the Contractor. Expect double occupant Man camp set up. Private community showers, bathroom and laundry facilities. Cafeteria buffet style meals. 3. What are the scheduled rotations? a. Shifts and rotations are determined by the contractor and set rotations are not common in our line of work. Expect to be at work for 6 weeks before a 1 or 2 week R&R. You may work day or night shifts. There is no guarantee on length of callout from the Union. 4. When does the work start? a. Work at Prudhoe Bay continues year round however the work load fluctuates for the construction season in the winter. This can begin as early as October, but the reality is that the large volume of workers going to Prudhoe will begin in January February. 5. How soon do I need to be there? a. The contractor expects a call to be filled and a person ready to go within 48 hours. b. You must be on the out of work list in Fairbanks to get a call to Prudhoe Bay c. We will call an out of State number when and if we have no other Alaska Members are available. 6. Will the contactor pay for my flight? a. The point of hire (POH) for work in Prudhoe Bay is either Fairbanks or Anchorage. The contractor will provide travel from POH to the job site, and return flight to POH. It is YOUR responsibility to get to either POH After being hired. 7. What certifications do I need? a. NSTC training (North Slope Training Card) now also offered in Washington. NCCO if you are a Crane hand. CDL and medical card for Mechanics and Service Oilers. Negative TB test to work at Point Thomson.

2 8. Will my cell phone work? a. Depends on location. However, most contractors have a no cell phone while working policy so they need to stay in camp during work hours. Most camps, not all, have cell service, internet, and landline phones (bring a calling card). 9. How often do I get paid? How much will I make? a. Weekly. How much you make will depend on the hours worked in that week. There is a guaranteed 40 hours per week in the contract for inclement weather. The norm is least 7 10 s. Most contractors have direct deposit options. 10. What do I need to know before I get there? a. Prudhoe Bay Oilfield is privately owned, and Oil company badges are required to work there. The Oil field has a zero tolerance policy. No second chance. This applies to alcohol, drugs, firearms, (at Point Thomson knives) and other forms of contraband including pornography. b. Bring what you need with you. This includes medications, toiletries, and special items you may require. There is a store in Prudhoe Bay but prices are high. Sufficient cold weather gear to protect you in 60 degree weather with severe wind chill is a must (Carhart black lined or equivalent are popular). Appropriate steel toed winter boots and gloves. Contractors will provide the outermost Fire Retardant layer of coveralls when needed. c. Medications need to be in their original Dr. prescribed containers. d. Most contractors require a pre hire physical before you leave Anchorage or Fairbanks. If you fail you will not be able to go to work and you will need to get yourself back home at your own expense. COST, SOURCES, and NOTES on ARCTIC GEAR NOVEMBER 2013 Baffin arctic boots (safety toe) winterfootwear.com $185 Boot drier Peet portable style Cabellas (on sale) $ 10 Ice Cleats Cabellas $ 65 Carhart Extremes bibs Whistle Workwear $126 Carhart Extremes parka Whistle Workwear $135 Snap on hood $ 29

3 Mittens arctic military N4B unused Ebay (Allegheny Surplus) $ 18 Gloves Green Apes Ebay $6 Balaclava with full neck Whistle Workwear $ 14 Beanie cap $ 12 Snow goggles Cabellas $ 47 Wool socks seven pair Whistle Workwear $ 95 Long johns top & bottom $ 90 Minus 33 brand all merino wool Carhart hoody sweatshirt $ 59 Zippered duffel bag for arctic gear Cabellas $ 50 Hand/pocket warmers Zippo (two) $ 32 Total w/o tax $ 973 SOME OPTIONS FOR RESEARCH, SHOPPING, AND PURCHASE Sorel.com for arctic boots However, I only see one style with safety toe, the Conquest, which only has 400 gram Thinsulate insulation. This is not enough for your arctic survival boots. This is what my leather Wolverine pull on boots have which I generally wear for operating and outside the crane cabin for short periods of time. Baffin.com for arctic boots Good selection of styles with safety toes. Baffin is in Ontario, Canada and they only have standard shipping to the US. If you want these boots sooner, order them from winterfootwear.com. The Baffin company will tell you this. Winterfootwear.com For Baffin boots if you need expedited shipping as they are in the US. Fast shipping. Wolverine.com For good work boots with medium insulation (I like them for day to day operating) but you will still need a pair of heavily insulated arctic boots. Fast shipping.

4 Carhart.com Also local store in Seattle. Federal Army/Navy (gr8gear.com) Located in Seattle on First street. Have large stock of bunny boots (white and black), if you want them $90 $150 used and unused for the white ones. The white ones have the warmest rating. They are military surplus and are 20 to 30 years old as they are not made for our military anymore. Good store for Navy watch sweaters (pull over and 100% wool) new unused $39. Very nice and well stocked military surplus store. Whistle Workwear Local stores. Have Carhart Extremes. Good boot selection but not the arctic boots. Have some Baffin boots but limited. Also some Wolverines. 10% discount to Local 302 members. Work N More Local Stores. Don t have the Carhart Extremes, only the black canvas duck. 10% discount to Local 302 members. Refrigiwear.com Another good option instead of Carhart. Your personal preference. Freezerwearstore.com Arctic high vis parkas and bibs. Another option. I do not have any experience with this brand. Only looked at them online in search of high vis options. For now I will stay with my XL high vis vest over my black carharts. Most of the time I just wear my medium insulated high vis jacket as I am not usually outside the cabin for long periods of time. Again, my personal preference. Cabellas Local Store and online. For ice cleats, snow goggles, duffel bags, hand/pocket warmers, and more. Have some Sorel boots but not the super arctic ones and I did not see ones with safety toes. Fast shipping. REI Ice cleats and snow goggles. You don t need their real expensive fashion snow goggles. Ebay.com Military arctic mittens, gloves, and lots more. Amazon.com Lots of things. Alleghenywholesale.com Military arctic mittens, sweaters, etc. Duluthtrading.com Cold weather clothing. The 3 dog fleece long johns are good. Wear them like long johns. Fast shipping.

5 Bigrays.com Located in Fairbanks, Alaska. Look at their website and call them to see what people wear up there. They are happy to talk on the phone and give suggestions. Army navy store.com Located in Anchorage, Alaska. Same company as Big Ray s in Fairbanks, (Classic Alaska Trading Company). I am sure there are many other places too. These are just some of the places I have shopped at over the past years and recently for some new arctic gear. SOME GENERAL NOTES ON GEAR The following notes are based on my experiences in Alaska and are biased toward my personal preferences of dressing in cold weather. I prefer more underlayers and less bulk on the outer layer, although I am equipped with the heavier arctic parka and bibs and heavily insulated boots. The Carhart Extremes are different than the Carhart canvas/duck. Both are black but the Extremes are thick woven Denier Nylon shell. For my heavily insulated boots I have used Sorels for many years. Good boots. However, mine are pretty worn, and after some research I have decided to try some Baffins this year. I am an operator that spends 95% of the time in the crane cabin, therefore I wear lighter outerwear than what is in my arctic survival duffel. I will wear the heavy stuff on a day when I may have to be outside for several hours assembling/ repairing a crane, or a survival situation. Considering the above, I like the medium insulated (400 gram Thinsulate) leather Wolverine pull on boots with the safety toe. They work better on the foot pedals than the bulky arctic boots. They are also warm enough outside on ice for reasonable periods of time. Cost is $192. My arctic boots are in my survival duffel. I like a 100% wool navy watch sweater over my under layers which costs $39 for a new one at Federal Army Navy Surplus in Seattle. Then I wear a medium insulated highvis jacket without the bulky hood. The one I like costs $65 and is a combination of orange and lime. I put on a balaclava under my hard hat when I go outside. For bibs, I like the Carhart red lined as they are not too bulky in the cabin and allow me to be comfortable for the short times I am outside. These cost $90. Under these are my jeans and wool long johns and/or fleece long johns. Fleece or flannel lined jeans is

6 another option people wear. Carhart and Duluth trading have these. And of course I have the heavy arctic insulated extremes bibs and parka in my survival bag. I also like the Carhart thin non bulky nylon quilted vest as another under layer if the temperature demands it. Also comfortable and non restricting inside the cabin. It costs $72. I will often wear this or my hoody sweatshirt under my medium insulated high vis jacket. Sometimes both. I like multiple layers so that I can adjust for different conditions and what I am doing. Green ape gloves are inexpensive and work good and I can slide them into my large mittens. I also like Blackhawk heatlocks, called deerskins. Insulated with leather outside. Cost about $20. I have only found these in Alaska. Both of these gloves are only good for short periods of time in subzero temps, and need to frequently go back into your mittens or pockets to warm up the fingers. The cost of these clothing items that I take for my personal preference and comfort, that are in addition to the required arctic gear is about $500 with tax. Your preferences may be different. There are some new high tech materials that I see people wearing. I have heard good talk about Under Armour long johns. Cost is $160 for a set (top and bottom). I am old fashioned and try to get wool when I can find it. Do some research online at the websites and read the reviews of customers who aren t trying to sell the product. Talk to operators who have been up there. 1. Whatever options you decide on, don t buy cheap gear. You will regret you own it and that you wasted your money, and be miserable in the cold weather or possibly lose your toes and fingers, ears, or worse. Remember that your heavily insulated arctic gear is comparable to a life vest and raft in a boat on the ocean