NEW NORTH SEA HELICOPTER SAFETY MEASURES ADOPTED

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: march 2014 :: RMTnews 27 Major changes are to be introduced to improve the safety of North Sea helicopter operations after a spate of accidents over the past five years that have killed 20 people. Changes announced by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) will include a ban on flights during the most severe weather conditions and amendments to seating arrangements so that all passengers are next to an escape route, as well as changes to pilot training and improved equipment levels. From April 2016, there will also be a ban on offshore flights unless all occupants wear emergency underwater breathing systems. The 32 measures put forward follow a review of offshore helicopter operations carried out by the CAA along with the Norwegian CAA and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). There have been five serious helicopter incidents in the North Sea in five years, including a crash off Shetland last August in which four people died. In 2009, all 16 people on board a Super Puma aircraft died when a Super Puma plunged into the sea off Aberdeenshire after a catastrophic gearbox failure. Since 1992, there have been a total of 25 UK offshore helicopter accidents, including seven incidents resulting in 51 deaths. Flights will in future be prohibited in the most severe sea conditions, so that the chance of a ditched helicopter capsizing is reduced and a rescue can be safely undertaken. The review also found that current UK helicopter underwater escape training was unrealistic and said repeat training should take place every two years rather than the mandatory four. It also compares unfavourably with the Norwegian oil industry, which spends more time on health and safety and emergency training. Helicopter operators will also be expected to make improvements to aircraft and survival equipment by fitting side floats, adding hand holds next to push-out windows and improving life rafts and lifejackets. RMT offshore regional organiser Jake Molloy welcomed the proposals but said that it was unreasonable that the offshore workforce's concerns were only now being addressed, five years after 16 people died. He also said that the union could not see how the recommendations were going to be enforced when the number of CAA helicopter inspectors was being cut. "An opportunity has been missed here for actions that would improve the confidence of our members in the safety of offshore helicopters, including the system of reporting of incidents and accidents which the review completely ignored. "RMT needs to know more from the CAA on exactly how they intend to enforce these recommendations and we continue to demand a public inquiry into the offshore oil and gas industry as a whole, including offshore helicopter operations," he said. NEW NORTH SEA HELICOPTER SAFETY MEASURES ADOPTED Union warns that new offshore safety recommendations may not be enforced when the number of inspectors was being cut