LH&W or Jones???

[mightyquinn]

One of my clients is an HVAC contractor in Temecula. His work has all been in that area. Now however, he has signed a contract to perform regular preventive maintenance on the HVAC system of an offshore oil well. Once a month he will be transported to the offshore well by boat [3-5 miles] where he will spend a few hours doing his work and then he will be transported back to shore.

Questions:
1. What provides his WC coverage from the time when he leaves land to the time when he returns??
2. Would he be covered by USL&HW coverage or by the Jones Act.
3. Would one apply on the boat [Jones] and another on the well [L&HW] or would one apply in both places?
4. As the rig is in US waters would it be treated as a dock and L&HW apply or would Jones apply because it is just offshore? He's not a member of a crew or master of a vessel so I don't see a direct Jones application but Jones seems the most logical.

I will appreciate all feedback on this issue. As usual he has signed the contract and just told us about this so we have to dance pretty fast on this one.

Thanks.

[Big Dog]

You're gonna want USL&H, Jones Act, and Outer Continental Shelf endorsements to make sure everything is covered.

Depending upon who the carrier is, they may throw a "slight" fit over this added exposure.