The Risk Management Tool Box Blog

I was recently having a nice meal in a restaurant.  At the end of dinner, I asked for a tooth pick but was told  I could not have one for "Health and Safety" reasons.

So I naturally asked our waiter what the "Health and Safety" reasons were.  But the waiter could not provide a straight forward answer.

The simple fact is that there are no Health and Safety legislative requirements that prevent the provision of, or use of tooth picks in a restaurant in Australia.

Restaurants should not use "Health and Safety" as an excuse when it comes to saving costs (on tooth picks) or for their poor customer service.

Since it's Friday and the end of the working week for many folks, I'm posting a short psychological test from the World Health Organization (WHO, 1989) which can be used to evaluate if you have, or are developing a problem with alcohol.

The test asks ten (10) simple questions and you assign a score to each question for your honest answers.

I am also posting an interpretation sheet which will help you to understand what your responses to the test may indicate about your alcohol consumption.

The psychological test and the interpretation sheet can both be found by clicking the links below.

AUDIT.pdf

AUDIT scoring and interpretation.pdf

Following on from the last TGIF, here are some more recommendations I've discovered in my travels throughout the oil patch.

Check them out  if you're in need of solace in the oil field this Friday evening.

Enjoy!

1    New Iberia, Louisiana - visit Avery Island for a taste of Tabasco Sauce in the heart of Cajun Country.  One of the five salt domes on the Gulf coast where the oil industry as we know it really started - in the Little Bayou Oilfield in 1917.  Fantastic history and great folks!  Check it out by clicking here.

2.    Darwin, NT - Char Restaurant.  Darwin is another energy boom-town with Conoco-Phillips, Eni and Inpex all kicking off projects in the NT.  Best steakhouse in the whole NT.  Check it out by clicking here.

3.    Minot, North Dakota - 10 North Main.  What a find!  It's even better than the Bakken Formation that's turning farmers in this corner of the  oil patch into instant oil Millionaires.  A fantastic experience in the heart of North Dakota.  Check it out by clicking here.

4.    Adelaide, SA - The Exeter Hotel.  Adelaide has so many great pubs and restaurants.  Those folks at Santos HQ sure have it lucky.  My favorites are the Exeter Hotel and the Austral Hotel.  You can check them both out by clicking here.

5.    Jakarta, Indonesia - The Mulia Hotel.  Just fantastic!  Check it out by clicking here.

6.    Roma, Queensland - Bungil Creek Motel.  Roma is rapidly becoming the center of coal-seam methane production in Australia and will boom over the coming years.  Although not a bar as such, the Bungil Creek offers the best accommodation and dining in Roma.  Close to Santos' Roma office.  Check it out by clicking here.

7.    Bintulu, Sarawak, Borneo - Not much there.  Stay at the Park City Hotel.  The airport used to be in the middle of the town but it got moved a few years back.

8.    Middlesbrough, UK - The Lion Inn at Blakey Ridge.  Boro is famous for lots of construction projects for the North Sea and home to the BP C.A.T.S Terminal where gas arrives into the UK from fields offshore.  The Lion Inn is an hour's drive out of town but if you're a local or a visitor, you'll fancy the chance to get out of town into the fresh air come the weekend! Trust me on that.  North Yorkshire's highest pub with great views and good food.  Don't go if it's snowing.  Check it out by clicking here. 

9.    Vancouver, Canada - Granville Island.  A great place for a stroll.  Close to the Teekay Shipping Offices downtown.  Check it out by clicking here.

10    Lake Charles, Louisiana - Billedeaux's Cajun Kitchen.  You'll know you're in Calcasieu Parish in the heart of Cajun Country.  Visit Baton Rouge and Sam Houston Park if you get the chance.  Home to Sea Robin Gas Plant and the port for entry out to the Gulf.  Watch out for hurricanes!

The oil-patch is a Global industry and over the years I've been fortunate to work on health and safety programs for companies around the World.

I've compiled a short list of my favorite bars, restaurants and hotels in some of the places I've been working.

Here they are...but look out for more next Friday...


1.    London, UK - Rooftop bar at the Trafalgar Hotel.  Just a great location right in Trafalgar Square in the heart of London town.  You even get to look Lord Nelson straight in the eye (he only had one)  from the rooftop bar at this Conrad Hotel.  One of my all time favorite experiences.  Handy for Shell or Hess employees just down the Strand.  Check it out by clicking here.

2.    Houston, Texas - The Flying Saucer.  Right on Main Street and so handy for workers from Shell, Eni, Hess, Exon Mobil, Chevron, and every other oil company in town.  A great place to watch the World wander past.  Check it out by clicking here.

3    Perth, WA - Rigby's Bar.  Not nearly the best bar in town but a must visit for anyone in the oil patch.  Full of Woodside, Santos, BHP, and Chevron employees after hours - especially on Friday's.  The covered roof over the whole building makes it especially good if you need a beer during inclement weather (i.e., winter).  Check it out by clicking here.

4.    Midland-Odessa, Texas - Dos Amigos Cantina.  As it says on the sign - "Beer, Babes and Bulls".  What more can I say!  Check it out by clicking here.

5.    Sakhalin Island, Russia - Kona Bar.  Anton Chekhov may have described Sakhalin as "hell on earth" but he visited in 1890 before the oil-industry arrived on the scene.  I started to visit Sakhalin back in 2002 and it was still pretty primitive in those early days.  Now you'll find curry-houses, sushi bars and the Kona bar.  No website but it's in the Sakhalin Centre Building in the middle of Yuszhno and close to all the Exxon-Mobil and Sakhalin Energy  project offices.  You can't miss it!

6.    Seminole, West Texas - Charlies Place.  You might be way out in the Permian Basin and be mighty thirsty but you ain't getting a drink in this dry Baptist town.  Check out "Charlies" for the best Steak in this neck of the woods.  You'll be drinking Coke or Dr Pepper though!  Check it out by clicking here.

7.    Aberdeen, Scotland - Peep Peeps.  Spit and sawdust doesn't begin to describe the authenticity of this Scottish Ale House.  Make sure you take someone who is really hard with you.  Check it out by clicking here.

8.    Luba, Equatorial Guinea - Kelly's Bar and Grill.  You'll have to get a private invite but worth it if you make it there.  Check it out by clicking here.  

9.    Karratha, WA - The Icon.  Karratha is the home-town of the energy boom in Western Australia.  Even so, it's not much to look at!  The Icon is a good place for a beer and live music.  Check it out by clicking here.

10.    Moscow, Russia - Golden Ring Hotel.  Not the best bar but certainly the best breakfast I've ever had.  A real luxury hotel and close to Shell's (Salym Petroleum) downtown  offices.  Check it out by clicking here.

Sydney, NSW.  Nothing to recommend it.  A town full of parasites feeding off hard working folks in the oil industry.  Avoid.