Hundreds of North Sea workers are at risk of being banned from helicopter travel to offshore sites due to new weight restrictions. The regulation, effective November 1, mandates that workers must weigh no more than 19.5 stone (approximately 124 kilograms) in their work clothing and footwear to ensure they can be safely winched in an emergency.
Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) estimates that between 500 and 800 staff currently exceed this limit. While this represents a significant reduction from the more than 2,200 workers who were over the threshold when the rules were first announced, it still poses a challenge for a substantial number of employees. Some workers have reportedly chosen to leave their jobs rather than attempt to meet the new weight requirements.
"It’s significantly less than we started and that’s a great sign. But we recognise there’s going to be some hard work to be done to continue to reduce that number in time," said Graham Skinner, OEUK’s health, safety and security manager. He emphasized that on November 1, any worker arriving at the heliport over the 124kg limit will be unable to travel to their work site.
Dr. Niyi Adeleke, an occupational health physician based in Aberdeen, noted that while most affected workers are actively trying to lose weight, a small number have opted to resign. "There are people who work out in the gym regularly and say they are not going to trade this for a job," he told BBC Scotland, adding that this group is a minority.
The new policy stems from warnings by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency that current rescue winches are not equipped to safely lift individuals exceeding a certain weight. The maximum capacity of the Coastguard winch is 39 stone, which accounts for the worker's weight, the rescuer's weight, a stretcher, and essential equipment.
Average bodyweights have increased over the last six decades, with OEUK reporting a near 1.5 stone rise in the average weight of offshore workers since 2008. Skinner highlighted that worker weight impacts various aspects of offshore operations, including helicopter boarding, working in confined spaces and at heights, and crucially, rescue procedures. "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 stated.