This post and the one above are entirely accurate.
The S92 also has had problems.
Boat transfer in the North Sea in winter - the amount of time spent in a boat, and likely being seasick would eat into the leave days and soon the workforce would be asking for the helicopters.
I think most offshore workers know they have to travel in a helicopter, and that it will never have a 100% guarantee of being safe, but it should be a lot safer than it has been over the last 4 years. The trend is very worrying for the offshore workforce. I agree the Puma has had until recently a very good safety record - again the real question is why have they became less reliable - and again the recent incident we have to wait for the cause.