STRESS IN THE OFFSHORE OIL AND GAS EXPLORATION AND PRODUCTION INDUSTRIES - AN ORGANIZATIONAL APPROACH TO STRESS-CONTROL

Many researchers have pointed out the limitations of stress management strategies which aim solely to help the individual employee cope with stress in the work environment. In this study a stress audit approach to stress control was used to identify sources of stress which might be either reduced or eliminated by organizational change strategies. T hree hundred and ten males (92 per cent British) on 97 installations w orking in the UK offshore oil and gas exploration and production indus tries took part in a stress audit. By using interview (N = 50) and que stionnaire techniques, personnel were monitored over an 18-month perio d. Factor analysis and multiple regression analyses were used to ident ify sources of negative stress in the offshore environment. In this ar ticle, some of the stressors associated with job dissatisfaction are d iscussed and a variety of methods, including work redesign, are recomm ended as stress control strategies.