Despite deadly risks and time away from family, thousands drawn to jobs on offshore oil rigs

The good and bad of life on an offshore oil rig

PORT FOURCHON, La. — Life on an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico has come a long way in the last 60 years.

Workers live for weeks on a platform some 50 miles from the mainland, but companies try to make them comfortable with catered food, pool tables and even mini movie theaters. At other times, it’s a world of hot metal, cramped sleeping quarters and skin-burning sun.

The hardest part is simply being away from family.

This week’s oil rig disaster off the Louisiana coast highlights the dangers of the job, too. Eleven workers went missing after an explosion Tuesday. More than 100 workers had to evacuate the rig by boat.

The tragedy has also brought more attention to safety on the oil rigs.