Oil field electricians return after one-day safety walkout

ANCHORAGE (AP) -- Veco Construction electricians have returned to work at the Northstar oil field construction site after a one-day walkout protesting what they called unsafe working conditions.

BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc. spokeswoman Carla Beam said a BP project manager and a Veco executive flew to the North Slope project Monday to talk with workers and investigate their concerns.

A handful of electricians refused to work Sunday, saying Veco's onsite managers had refused to listen to their concerns. They walked off the job and contacted BP directly through a special safety telephone number.

Veco is contracting to BP for construction at the offshore oil island.

The one-day walkout did not appear to have affected work schedules, Beam said.