The Arctic is very rich in oil, gas, and other minerals. Currently, a tenth of the world’s oil and a fourth of its natural gas are produced there. The Russian Far North contains 80% of all Arctic oil and almost all of its gas. An important role in the development of the Arctic is played by the attraction and preservation of the able-bodied population in these remote regions.
For the possibility of exploration and extraction of minerals in these hard-to-reach regions with extreme climatic and geographical conditions, a fly-in/fly-out method of labor organization is used. With the fly-in/fly-out organization of labor, enterprises must ensure not only the professional activities of workers but also their optimal life in the fly-in places.
A literature study revealed that three factors groups affect workers in the fly-in/fly-out work organization in the Far North and the Arctic: climatic and geographical factors associated with the harsh Arctic climate; industrial factors from the dangers of production; and social factors, determined by the conditions of group isolation.
Climatic and geographical factors are considered key in assessing the extremeness of fly-in/fly-out work; therefore, it is important to assess the effect of their effect on workers. To this end, it is necessary to conduct a comparative study on oil and gas production in the north and south of the Russian Federation in order to be able to control the variables associated with working conditions and organization and to identify the influence of climatic and geographical conditions. This will make it possible to understand what technologies of psychological support of fly-in/fly-out personnel, developed for enterprises in the north of Russia, can be applied to organizations in the southern regions. The extreme nature of rotational work is dictated to a greater extent by the organization of work or difficult climatic and geographical conditions.
A risk-based approach is used in order to predict the professional efficiency of fly-in/fly-out personnel. “Psychological risks” in professional activity means the likelihood of negative psychological conditions, properties, and qualities that will hinder its implementation.
Management of psychological risks in professional activity is possible through a change in the objective working conditions (environmental resource) and attitudes toward the conditions for the performance of a professional task, the goals of performing professional activities, and self-assessment of the possibilities of performing professional activities.
Thus, the relevance of the study lies in the need to assess the combined influence of multidirectional factors of psychological risk in professional activity and personal and environmental resources, followed by the development of technologies for the psychological support of work and life of rotational personnel in the north and south of Russia.
The aim of the study is to identify and describe the psychological risks in professional activities of oil and gas workers in the south and north.
The study was conducted on the offshore ice-resistant platform in the Caspian Sea. Fifty employees with fly-in/fly-out durations of 14 days took part, and 70 employees with a fly-in/fly-out duration of 30 days took part. Research methods involved a questionnaire, and psychological and psychophysiological testing. Assessment of professional risk was conducted by comparing objective functional state indicators of employees and assessing their performance. The authors studied both the personality traits of employees and the characteristics of their adaptability, depending on their relevance to various professional groups. One goal was to find out which land-based workers will be able to be successful at sea.
For the first time, a variable model of psychological risks of oil and gas personnel was developed, including a differential assessment of environmental and personal resources, that focused on isolation, control, and reduction of psychological risks in professional activities.