One man’s misfortune can be another’s opportunity. Though such is the case with the BP oil spill, these grim circumstances are hardly the joyous occasion one expects a “silver lining” to appear. Be that as it may, the nation’s worst environmental disaster has created jobs during these economic hard times where none existed before.
In the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon tragedy, millions upon millions of gallons of crude have emptied into the Gulf coast and have set their sights on the coastal shores of the Southern Gulf States. BP, who is responsible for all damages that result from this environmental nightmare has hired upwards of 30,000 people, most of them local residents, to help contain and clean up this oil, on land and on sea, for as long as it takes to “make things right”.
A majority of those hired by BP will be for cleaning the beaches where oil has already made its way while others who own boats, normally being gainfully employed this time of year hauling in shrimp, oysters and other Gulf seafood, will be paid for their services on the waters, trying to stay in front of the oil before it makes its way to shore. The majority of these jobs are being coordinated through the “Vessels of Opportunity” program where currently some 1200 boats and their crews are being used to set booms and capture sea and bird wildlife that have been coated with oil.
Most clean-up crews who come in direct contact with the oil are required to be Hazardous Material (Haz-Mat) certified and are given the position name of “Hazwoper”. People applying for these jobs are expected to pay for this certification on their own which can run around $300-$400 for a 40-hour training course. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), informs people that they should “be wary of relying solely on generic "packaged" training programs in meeting their training requirements since training required under HAZWOPER includes site-specific elements which need to be tailored to the individual worker's assigned duties.”
According to the Florida State College Haz-Mat certification training, “The 40-hour HAZWOPER certification is mandatory to work at the oil spill”. But some employment agencies are asking for lesser trained Hazwopers who have a 24 hour training certification so be cautious. Compliance Solutions, a company who has been in the Hazardous Material training for about 15 years points out that “Not all online Hazwoper classes are created equal”. Their website informs potential Hazwoper certificate applicants that many “carpet-baggers” are coming in charging you less but are not giving you the full hands-on training. Check with any local or state-wide Better Business Bureaus before laying your money down on such training. Hazwoper jobs usually start out in the $11 to $12 range and can earn up to $25 an hour for supervisory positions.
Other fields directly related to BP’s efforts to correct the damage done and insure that proper procedures are being carried out include specialty fields in science consisting of chemists, oceanographers and other marine specialist to assist BP and EPA determine the toxicity levels of land and sea environs where oil has gathered. There are openings in the field of Risk Management, Civil Construction and Communications. These jobs can be in the private or public sector and pay upwards of $50-$60 an hour according to Melanie Zolton who has put together helpful links in an article and where to locate these jobs in both sectors at Help Wanted for Gulf Oil Spill Jobs and Deepwater Horizon Cleanup.
States inside and outside the impacted oil spill area are utilizing industries that have factories to make equipment that will be used by the various positions. Kevin Costner’s Oceans Therapy Solutions Corporation has been contracted to build 32 twenty-ton centrifuges to extract oil from the water. OTS has offices in Louisiana and California. Likewise Clean Beach Technologies (CBT) a privately held Houston, Texas based company specializing in environmental cleanup has also been contracted by BP to deliver their Beach Restoration System™ to multiple sites along the coast to remove tar embedded in the sand, a system that eliminates “the need and costs of removal or disposal to remote locations such as landfills”.
Orders for equipment and services to mop up the mess have exploded as in the case of Granite Environment. With factories in Florida and Oklahoma, Granite Environment has had to hire an additional 36 workers to fill orders for his erosion pollution products like boom being laid along coast lines. Owner Mark Wilkie informed reporter Dawn Kawamoto that there is a surge in hiring for the cleanup companies. "I know from talking with a competitor that [BP] brought on 6 Chinese plants," Wilke says. "As for the trickle-down effects of logistics and materials vendors, that has exponentially grown as they have had to scramble to meet demand." (BP Oil Spill Creates a Wave of New Jobs, Takes Others Under, AOL’s Daily Finance, 6/1/10)
Tertiary positions that have resulted from the BP spill can be found in the local private sector where workers coming will need to find room and board during their stays. Hotels and restaurants are filling up and require extra maid and wait staff to accommodate the influx of spill workers. Other businesses like movie theaters, clothes stores and laundry services have seen an increase in employment opportunities. The local Chambers of Commerce will usually be a reliable source for finding where these types of jobs are and what they pay.
Along with paying jobs that have been created due to this tragedy there are other jobs that are being handled by volunteers; people who are willing to avail their time to protect the endangered flora and fauna that the toxic crude poses a threat to. The Gulf Restoration Network in conjunction with the federal government’s Deepwater Horizon Response Unified Command have website’s that provide information where concerned citizens can apply to help the containment and clean-up operations in various districts along the coast.
As in any large scale crisis like this when large numbers of people are brought in from out of the area to accommodate the workload needed, there will be scams creating fraudulent job opportunities to make a quick buck for themselves. The first red flag for any job seekers is when would-be employment agencies or representatives want up front money. This should never be the case and should be reported to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). In fact, the FTC has put out a bulletin you can read here that warns you against such scams and how to report them. Should you run into employers who you feel are discriminating against you the Department of Labor also has a web-site with pertinent information, including contact numbers in each coastal state where such practices are suspected of occurring. That link is located below.
It is unfortunate that job opportunities have evolved from this tragic situation in the Gulf. Yet were it to happen in more economically sound times, the workforce needed to address this issue may not have been readily available. High unemployment rates that we are experiencing following the mortgage and financial industries collapse two years ago, has been offset some by the need to clean up BP’s mess. The need for clean-ups jobs in the Gulf area is projected to be around for some time. This is good news for those who fear that the effects of the recession will be too.
The U. S. Department of Labor – job discrimination for oil spill workers