Tom,
Would they have packed a shroud cutter/hook knife in the raft? Doesn't look like a knife, safe in a raft, but cuts line quite well.

Conspicuous or not, in a panic you won't see it unless you know where it is before hand. Ever in a hurry to leave the house but can't find something, then it turned out to be under your nose the entire time? And that's not nearly as panicky as trying to get off a oil rig that's about to blow up.

That makes proper evacuation drills so important. Saftey equipment is worthless if people can´t use it in a panic.
A no non-issued knives policy may be result of safety considerations. In an environment with high explosion risk steel tools may be prohibited as the can generate sparks. Tools for working in such environment usually have to be made from special alloys. The tools are quite costly and wear out quickly. So people may not be inclined to buy them on their own budget.

Hello everyone,

I’ve been a long time reader, but have only ever posted once before, so I’m a little nervous but here it goes!

Coming from a military background, I can tell you that I have seen all kinds of high speed equipment…that the average user never trained on! Usually it comes down to the PITA factor of breaking it all down and putting it back in its original container. For example, how often do you see AEDs around and how often do you think employees in those areas actually train on those systems. I’m not talking about just reading a pamphlet or talking about it either. I’m talking about breaking it down, taking a look at all the components, putting it together, placing it on a demonstrator (or mannequin), and running through the whole process including pushing all the buttons (if this can be done without shocking the demonstrator). You will almost never see this and (in my experience) it usually boils down to two things.

1. Time has not been adequately allocated to the training. Remember guys, it’s not like they have nothing to do but train all day. While survival/preparedness is our hobby/passion, and so it just automatically occurs to us to have a mindset that assigns priorities to this type of training, I can almost assure you that the average worker is there to do a job and any training time will most likely be assigned to the practice of those duties (maintenance, equipment proficiency, etc.). It’s not an excuse, simply an explanation as to why (if it is found to be the case) they were not properly trained.

2. Lack of training sets/Expensive equipment. Back to the AED example. I’m not an AED expert, so I apologize ahead of time if I’ve left out any crucial steps or procedures but I’m just using it as an example. Part of that training should include actually adhering the electrodes to the mannequin/demonstrator. However, I bet no one ever does it because this would require peeling off the backing of the adhesive patches and consuming that item. You would have to be willing to replace those items after every training event. How much is that going to cost? How will this training effect the equipment? Will it cause wear and tear that will leave the equipment prone to failure during the moment of need (physical damage due to handling, drain on power source, etc.)? Also, is the equipment in question something that can be used for training and be repackaged in the same manner in which it was found and intended to be used? For example, if you are training on using a fire hose, you can just roll that bad boy back up and it’s good to go, but try getting a little hands on with a mylar space blanket and putting it back in its original packaging/configuration to be used in future operations…it’s not going to happen. This is why training sets are so important in our organization. Don’t keep opening up Israeli Bandages or new tourniquets for training. Keep a few in a bag an keep practicing with those so you get the real deal, hands on training but you don’t have to worry if they get a little tore up and aren’t sterile. They will never be used in the real deal. Now I’m not familiar with life rafts, but I assume that they are expensive. Are they something that can be broken down, gotten into, and repackaged with no loss or degradation to the system if trained with on a regular basis? I would assume not. Was there a training set available for their use?

Now, about the no knife policy... I’m sure you all have experienced this on many occasions, but once you become the guy that’s known for carrying the (knife/flashlight/multitool/whatever), you will get asked for that piece of equipment every five seconds! It’s amazing to me to see people clawing and biting their way through packaging like animals, totally disregarding the years of evolution it took for man to develop the knife for just such purposes. It’s as silly to me as attempting to drink only out of your cupped hands instead of using a cup. You wouldn’t throw that out would you? As for this issue of knives in the workplace, you can sell me on the idea that it would be unsafe to post a strap cutter by the retention line.

This whole rambling post is written under the assumption that the knife policy or lack of training were contributing factors to the loss of life that day. For all we know, they were expertly trained and one of them did have a knife and it just worked out the way it worked out, but I doubt it.

I hope I contributed to the discussion.

I just want to agree with everyone who has said being on the water without a knife is just wrong. Racing sailboats you're a danger to you fellow crew if you don't have a knife with you, and frankly I feel the same duck hunting, fishing, etc. I don't see why an oil rig would be any different.

Very good points Regulator6. I'm the only guy on my floor at work "trained" with the AED. That was three years ago and it never came out of it's box. A refresher course is "under consideration".

Companies loath to spend an extra dime on safety...which is why Doug has such a hard time convincing them to make changes.

I'm trying to track down more information about this through contacts inside these companies. Hopefully someone will tell me something. Thankfully the companies I've worked for have always allowed knives/multitools...or have at least never said anything about the one on my belt.

-Blast

Wasn't that uncomfortable?

I tend to carry my knives on my belt or in my pocket. But I guess your method would be harder to detect.

The only time I don't have at least a SAK is when I enter a government building.

ROTFLMAO!!!
-Blast

I am very curious if the reason for the ban (if it existed) was because someone viewed knives as weapons or if they were included in an all-over "no foreign metals whatsoever on the rig" policy due to explosion hazard.

Maybe insurance companies could be a better target. In my neck of the woods a certain percentage of the staff has to get initial first aid training and refreshers every second year or else the insurance fees will rise. The training is on company time. It´s similar with other safety measures. When higher risk leads to higher fees it seems fair to me.

BTW: We got to use the AED on the mannequin. The first aid trainer has a unit reserved for training sessions.