Hundreds of North Sea workers too heavy for new helicopter rules

Hundreds of North Sea workers too heavy for new helicopter rules

New weight rules for travel offshore will come into force in November

Hundreds of North Sea workers are still above the weight limit for offshore helicopter travel less than two months before new rules take effect, BBC Scotland has learned.

From November, workers must weigh no more than 19st 7Ib (124.7kg) in their clothing and footwear so they can be winched to safety in an emergency.

When the plans were announced last year by industry body Offshore Energies UK (OEUK), it said more than 2,200 workers were over that limit. New figures now indicate that up to 800 still exceed it.

As a result, jobs could be at risk, and one occupational health expert said some people had already left the offshore industry rather than lose weight.

But an employment law specialist said companies could also look at alternative onshore roles.

The move followed a warning from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) that rescue winches - which are vital in offshore emergencies - cannot safely lift heavier people.

The 39st (249kg) maximum Coastguard rescue helicopter winch load includes the maximum clothed weight, plus the average 14st (90.3kg) weight of a rescue worker, a 4st 7Ib (29kg) stretcher, and the 7Ib (5kg) kit.

OEUK said the average weight of offshore workers had increased by almost 1st 7Ib (10kg) since 2008.

Its clothed-weight definition is measured "according to the industry travel clothing policy for the relevant season, including shoes".

The decision to introduce a safe weight limit for offshore workers came after a lengthy review by industry experts.

Rules on shoulder size had already been brought in for workers travelling to and from offshore installations by helicopter.

Passengers with a shoulder width of 22in (56cm) or more were classified as "extra broad" and had to sit beside a similarly large helicopter window so they could escape.

Updated figures from the industry body show that about 3.4% of offshore workers weigh more than 124kg. That is down from an estimated 4.7% in 2022.

The latest figures are based on more than 35,000 offshore traveller records gathered between April and August.

They suggest hundreds have dropped below the threshold, but hundreds still remain above it.

OEUK said it was working to keep the downward trend going, but those still above the new guidelines now have only a limited time left.

The new policy becomes mandatory on 1 November.

Aberdeen-based occupational health physician Dr Niyi Adeleke assesses whether people are fit for offshore work.

He said the new rules had been a "big talking topic" among workers since last year’s announcement.

Anyone above the weight limit will not receive the required medical certificate.

"The reaction has been varied, some people are really stressed, 'what can I do?'," he told BBC Scotland News.

"We ask them about their eating habits and what they can change."

He said some were considering options such as weight loss injections.

Dr Niyi Adeleke said some workers had chosen to leave their jobs because of the rules.

"We have others who have decided to walk away, saying this is no longer what they would like to do if they have to lose that amount of weight.

"There are people who work out in the gym regularly and say they are not going to trade this for a job."

However, he said that in his experience this was only a small number, and others were also moving abroad or switching to onshore roles.

He said most were trying to lose the weight.

But he explained that some were losing weight too quickly by fasting for long periods, which was not sustainable.

"There are solutions which are sustainable," he said. "There is help, and please do not lose hope."

Will Rollinson, an employment specialist with law firm Brodies, said companies were aware of what needed to be done to support staff.

He said several factors would need to be considered before someone was dismissed because of their weight.

Employers would need to know what efforts the worker had made to get below the limit, why they had not managed it, and what further help could be offered.

Rollinson said alternative roles could be explored instead of offshore work.

"Ultimately though, if an employee whose role is offshore is unable to get below the safe weight limit, and an employer has followed a process, it may be that (job) termination is a possibility," he said.

He said some operators would have much more scope to offer alternative roles.

He stressed that companies and employees still had a two-month window to act.

Graham Skinner, OEUK’s health, safety and security manager, said the affected workforce was working hard to meet the new limit.

He said that with eight weeks to go there were "between 500 and 800" workers who still needed to lose weight.

"It's significantly less than when we started and that's a great sign," he said.

"But we recognise there's going to be some hard work to be done to continue to reduce that number in time.

"On 1 November, if a worker turns up at the heliport over 124kg, they will not be able to go to work."

Skinner explained the new policy: "We identified that there's a significant risk due to workers' weight.

"That affects all aspects of their offshore work from getting on the helicopter and travelling offshore to working around confined space, working at height, but also in terms of how we might rescue them using the winch on helicopters.

"When we looked at all of the risks, we felt it was important to make sure that we didn't have workers who we wouldn't be able to rescue if the worst thing happened to them."

He added: "I think the message here is for people who haven't started yet, who think this isn't going to happen or it's going to go away, you really have to start now because with eight weeks to go it will still be possible.

"It will be hard, but we'd like to have you as part of our workforce."