Oil Rig Workers Turn to Weight-Loss Drugs Amid Strict New Helicopter Weight Limits
Offshore companies are providing extra refrigeration for weight-loss medications as workers strive to meet new safety regulations or risk losing their jobs.
Companies in the oil and gas industry are installing additional refrigerators for workers to store weight-loss medications, as a strict new weight limit for helicopter travel to offshore rigs takes effect. Employees weighing more than 19 stone 7 pounds (124kg), fully clothed, will no longer be permitted to board helicopters, a policy introduced to ensure workers can be safely winched to safety in emergency situations. Industry leaders believe the measure will save lives.
Graham Skinner, health, safety, and security manager for industry body Offshore Energies UK, estimated that between 240 and 300 workers initially did not meet the new weight threshold. This number has since decreased significantly from approximately 800 two months prior, as workers have employed various methods to lose weight. Those unable to meet the target face job loss or redeployment.
Reports indicate that up to 60% of offshore personnel are using weight-loss injections, such as Ozempic and Mounjaro, to comply with the deadline. Skinner noted that some companies have installed extra fridges to accommodate the medication due to the high number of workers using it. While acknowledging the medical complexities of these drugs, he stated that the industry body did not promote them as a primary solution but recognized their wide uptake by the workforce.
Skinner, who lost weight himself, conceded that individuals unable to meet the weight limit might challenge the new policy. However, he asserted that the vast majority of workers are pleased with the weight limit, citing concerns about the safety of larger colleagues during helicopter transport and rescue scenarios. He emphasized that the policy is fundamentally about safety and capability, and inability to mobilize for work due to exceeding the weight limit could result in job termination.
The RMT union, however, has expressed concerns that the policy could be used by employers as a convenient way to dismiss workers without adhering to proper redundancy procedures. General secretary Eddie Dempsey stated that while safety is paramount offshore, safety policies must be proportionate, evidence-based, and developed through meaningful consultation with affected workers.