With Manatee County’s 11.5 percent unemployment rate and a tight job market, any work that pays more than $10 an hour will attract a major response.
As BP’s Deepwater Horizon well blowout continues to spew millions of gallon of oil into the Gulf, clean-up crews are in demand.
Tens of thousands of workers and volunteers are already involved in the demanding labor.
But anyone considering applying for a job with BP should think long and hard about the health risks.
Plus, people must be wary of scam artists advertising expensive training and guaranteeing a clean-up job.
A group of doctors and scientists assembled by the Institute of Health gathered in New Orleans two weeks ago to start tracking the mental, emotional and physical impacts on humans from the oil catastrophe — on Gulf residents, BP workers and everyone else exposed to the toxic soup.
Already, hundreds of oil-exposure complaints have reached poison control centers, according to a recent Time/CNN report.
Clean-up workers have suffered from severe headaches, skin irritation, dizziness, nausea and other symptoms. Dozens more have fallen prey to heatstroke, potentially fatal considering that workers wear plastic protective suits with gloves and boots.
But the oil and the chemical dispersants pose an unknown and likely longer lasting threat to human health. Health experts express alarm about potential liver, lung and kidney damage from exposure to the organic compounds found in oil, including benzene, a carcinogen.
Still, little research on the health risks from oil contamination has been conducted, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
That will change with the concerted federal effort on tracking health issues that arise out of the Gulf disaster. But at what cost to clean-up workers?
Congress is seeking ExxonMobil records on the health problems encountered by clean-up crews who worked on the Exxon-Valdez spill of 11 million gallons of oil into Prince William Sound in 1989. Lawmakers gave the oil giant until next week to produce the documents.
We urge job hunters to carefully weigh the risks versus the rewards.
Unnecessary job training
This week the Miami Herald found unemployed people hungry for work forked out hundreds of dollars for worthless or unnecessary training from companies that falsely offer guarantees of jobs.
BP and its contractors offer free training for boom installation, skimming and shoreline clean-up, according to the Occupational Health and Safety Administration.
The only training BP is not paying for is the 40-hour HAZWOPER course, for which job-seekers receive OSHA certification.
HAZWOPER, or Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response Standard, is only required of supervisors and boat captains — and not crew members.
People should be cautious about training and investigate company backgrounds and job placement success rates. OSHA recommends calling the agency (800- 321-6742) about dubious training companies.
Also, be certain clean-up job training is required before paying.
Call the Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation about open oil-spill jobs at (877) 362-5034, or check online at www.floridagulf recoveryjobs.com.
Disclaimer: Story comments are intended to provide a place for constructive dialog about issues and events in our community. Your input is encouraged and can make a positive difference. To achieve this, no obscenity, personal attacks, or racial slurs are tolerated. Users brought to our attention for violating our terms of use will be blocked from commenting permanently and without notice. Please help keep the comments on topic by flagging objectionable material and remember that children and young adults may be reading your comments. With freedom of speech comes the responsibility to be respectful of others.
Email Story
Printer Friendly 
Quick Job Search
@Nyx.replyAnswerText@