2007.02.26 - Associated Press EX-OFFSHORE OIL DIVERS SUE OVER HEALTH
The following Associated Press article gives a clear and unbiased outline of the proceedings here in Noway between the divers and the Norwegian Government.
The article can be found on BusinessWeek.com
The Associated Press February 26, 2007, 12:38PM EST
EX-OFFSHORE OIL DIVERS SUE OVER HEALTH
By DOUG MELLGREN
OSLO, Norway
Deep sea divers who complain that their health was ruined by Norway’s thirst for offshore oil sued the government Monday, claiming it knowingly risked their lives for profit.
The cases brought by four so-called pioneer divers could be followed by a rash of similar claims if they win. The case is to take about one month, and the Oslo district court said 31 more cases are pending.
When Norway, now the world’s third largest oil exporter after Saudi Arabia and Russia, was first developing its North Sea fields in the 1970s and 1980s, divers were sent to extreme and sometimes experimental depths to maintain and install equipment.
Now, the deep sea divers call themselves the forgotten victims of an industry that has made Norway one of the world’s richest countries.
“The plaintiffs believe there was knowledge of the harmful effects, and that—both directly and indirectly—actions were permitted in disregard of that information,” said the court’s summary of the case.
According to the plaintiffs’ complaint, Norwegian officials accepted a maximum depth for dives of 1,300 feet until 2002, while the safe limit is now set at 590 feet.
Some divers complain of severe health consequences, including lung and brain damage. In December, a government survey said 20 percent of 139 divers active between 1965 and 1990 were on medical disability pensions.
The government has accepted moral and political responsibility for the divers, but rejects any legal obligation. However, in 2004, Parliament authorized compensation of up to 2.7 million kroner ($439,000) for about 200 divers, in addition to previous payments of up to 500,000 kroner ($81,440).
Tom Engh, a plaintiff disabled by polluted air during a 1978 dive, once told AP that his lost income for all those years was closer to 20 million kroner ($3.26 million).
Attorney Erik Johnsrud, representing three of the plaintiffs, said a victory could bring compensation in “the multimillion kroner class.”
The suit was formally brought against the Norwegian Ministry of Labor and Social Inclusion.