Posted on 09/03/2026 7:27:34 AM PDT by BenLurkin
Hundreds of North Sea workers are still too heavy for offshore helicopter travel less than two months before new rules come into force, BBC Scotland has learned.
From November they should 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 by industry body Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) last year, they said more than 2,200 workers were above that limit. New figures suggest up to 800 still exceed it.
Jobs could be lost as a result, and an occupational health expert said some had left the offshore industry rather than lose the weight.
However an employment law specialist said alternative onshore roles could also be explored by companies.
The new safe weight limit policy came after the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) warned that rescue winches - which are critical during offshore emergencies - cannot safely lift heavier people.
The 39st (249kg) maximum Coastguard rescue helicopter winch load is made up of 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 risen by almost 1st 7Ib (10kg) since 2008.
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.com ...
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STAY FAT OR CANNOT WORK-—A NEW CONCEPT???
They should make better helicopters. You get some big boys working the hard labor jobs. Yeah sure some are fat, but plenty got a lot of muscle in there.
125 kilos is 275 lbs
Those wacky Brits. In the US, stones can be of various weights.
Yep, and I know quite a few very fit 275-pound men who work real labor jobs. The answer is upgrade the safety equipment, not tell men to be more dainty.
275 pounds is too heavy to be safe on a job-site in the North Sea.
You want someone 91 lbs soaking wet to manhandle the process of tripping in drill pipe. It’s an easy job. Anyone can do it. Just work through the power point safety lectures, get HR to check off the completion and ye’re ready to go. Three wimps are always better than one strong man on a job.
Oil will not be pumped. These guys are tough. Send in the lesbians.
Well, that’s one way to “Go Green”...
The weight limit is 275 lbs.
That includes clothing. I know they don’t wear Carhart’s at sea but that what I looked at. A large heavy Carhart jacket is 5 lbs. Pants are about 5 also.
Steel toed work boots are about 3 lbs per boot. 7 lbs
A survival suit weights up to 13 lbs.
Add a pound or two for underlayers and that’s over 30 lbs right there.
250 lbs. for a strapping muscular 6 foot man is not unusual.
A 12,500 lb. Badlands winch from Harbor should do the trick. (Obviously I have no idea what I’m talking about but hey, I’m a FReeper so I can act like an expert)
How did you determine that? You have any idea how easy it is for a man 6 foot or taller to get over 275 if they work out or just work hard?
Honestly, it isn’t that hard, especially if you are over 6 foot. I am 6 foot myself and in my younger days of muscle work, over brain work I do now, I hovered between 270 and 285. In high school I was 190 before I even graduated and was a fit wrestler, as a boy / teen grows to real manhood that weight keeps increasing easily.
That was just from the calories needed and work required.
It's not a matter of how fit the person is. Have you ever worked at sea? The North Sea? Working a fishing vessel in the Gulf of Alaska is the most dangerous job in America. A guy 275 pounds in trouble on a deck covered with ice is too heavy for OTHERS to rescue reasonably without taking excessive risks.
It is a considered limit.
It sounds like they’re making the argument to have women and children work the oil rigs.
I once weighed myself with and without my riding gear (back when I was a serious motorcyclist).
Full leathers, gloves, helmet, and boots = 60 lbs.
Safe clothing comes at a cost in weight (and $$ too).
“ 275 pounds is too heavy to be safe on a job-site in the North Sea.”
I’ve worked rigs on the North Sea and am over 275. Mind you, I am almost 7 feet tall. My waist is 33” and am in the low teens of body fat.
You just sign a waiver saying “you know you’re screwed”, take the training for the boats and move on with life.
Served on a submarine, I assure you it is harder to get that 275lb man out of a sub than off an oil rig. (Realistically 250 to 260 given it includes wearing work clothes.)
This is another example of stupid, insane government regulations where no one seems to know anything about reality. Good grief build a better winch!! Winches come in all capacities and they are being made smaller and more compact all the time.
The food out there is way too good ,LOL
“ Yep, and I know quite a few very fit 275-pound men”
That’s hard to believe
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