Michael
The point has to be made that there is a great risk not only from the seat opposit but from others onboard especially in helicopters of the light type with 4 or 5 seats especially if they are not vetted prior to any flight.
Does it?
The point has to be made that it's been SOP all over the world for decades.
I can't rule out the possibility that there may have been an 'incident' at some time somewhere but, if there was a flight safety issue, the regulators would have banned it.