I have been a crewman for five years & in that time, the company I work for, have had only 1 uncommanded cutting of the cable. This was 1 too many.
We use 2 types of Aircraft, which use different types of winches. Our 332 Super Puma's use an Hydraulic winch, with we have had no problem with. But our Sikorsky S76's use an Electric winch, which we have had no end of trouble with & the incident I mentioned.
Before any mission weather it be training or the real thing we always do a no volts check of the cable cutting squib & it was during this mandatory check that the squib fired. The winch was removed & sent back to the manufactures for investergation & overhaul.
The job that we do is very very dangerous & until a better system of cutting the cable is in place I feel we cannot remove the cable cutters, as trying to cut the cable by hand in most of the difficult circumstances we find ourselves in would be impossible.