Until a year ago, the usual 14-day offshore period was split between one week on dayshift and one week on nightshift. Now workers on the Transocean Sedco Forex unit, as well as several other platforms, work only days or only nights during their stay.
The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD), Norway's offshore health and safety watchdog, has accepted the changes. It has relied on reports that changing rhythm in the middle of the offshore period creates a greater strain on health.
