Safety clothing for offshore ops
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Safety clothing for offshore ops
Hi everyone,
After a brief search on the topic (with no luck I might add), I was interested in finding out your views on the issue of safety clothing and helmets within specifically the offshore game, but also in other sectors of the industry.
Currently, our pilot body is trying to impress upon management the need for appropriate safety clothing such as zoom bags, gloves, helmets etc. given the nature of the work we perform. Our argument is that in this day and age with OH & S being all important (if not legally imperative), that we should be wearing clothing designed with safety being the #1 consideration. Management currently subscribes to the view that we perform duties akin to airline pilots and therefore should wear similar uniforms. I believe corporate image may have something to do with their resistence to change.
Whilst our duties do entail similar characteristics to airline flying for the most part, the most hazardous duty we perform would almost certainly be open port hot refueling. Anyone who has viewed footage of hot refueling going wrong (the US military have a few on video) would fully understand about the risks I'm referring to. I don't believe airline pilots perform any tasks that could be considered as hazardous.
I would be very interested to hear from our offshore brethren with their views on the subject.
Cheers,
P68
After a brief search on the topic (with no luck I might add), I was interested in finding out your views on the issue of safety clothing and helmets within specifically the offshore game, but also in other sectors of the industry.
Currently, our pilot body is trying to impress upon management the need for appropriate safety clothing such as zoom bags, gloves, helmets etc. given the nature of the work we perform. Our argument is that in this day and age with OH & S being all important (if not legally imperative), that we should be wearing clothing designed with safety being the #1 consideration. Management currently subscribes to the view that we perform duties akin to airline pilots and therefore should wear similar uniforms. I believe corporate image may have something to do with their resistence to change.
Whilst our duties do entail similar characteristics to airline flying for the most part, the most hazardous duty we perform would almost certainly be open port hot refueling. Anyone who has viewed footage of hot refueling going wrong (the US military have a few on video) would fully understand about the risks I'm referring to. I don't believe airline pilots perform any tasks that could be considered as hazardous.
I would be very interested to hear from our offshore brethren with their views on the subject.
Cheers,
P68
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papa68
You sound as though you are with Bristow. In Oz?
At Esso in Bass Strait, after decades of wearing Fletcher Jones and crisp white shirts, we made a case, successfully, to management and are now provided with the following:
Navy blue flight suits
gloves (if required)
David Clark or Bilsom headsets with CEP (company staff pilots can opt for a helmet if preferred)
safety vest (secumar style)
full mustang immersion suit for night flights offshore
sunglasses
steel cap flying boots
Drop me a line if you want any details on the case presented.
regards,
PT
You sound as though you are with Bristow. In Oz?
At Esso in Bass Strait, after decades of wearing Fletcher Jones and crisp white shirts, we made a case, successfully, to management and are now provided with the following:
Navy blue flight suits
gloves (if required)
David Clark or Bilsom headsets with CEP (company staff pilots can opt for a helmet if preferred)
safety vest (secumar style)
full mustang immersion suit for night flights offshore
sunglasses
steel cap flying boots
Drop me a line if you want any details on the case presented.
regards,
PT
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Papa,
For one, Airline pilots don't spend most of their time at sea bird altitudes, have a look around and I'm sure you'll find pics of birds through windscreens. Given this, helmets and at least safety glasses should be a must!
Flying gloves/suits? (Don’t forget good foot wear) yip! Have a cockpit fire and you'll start to wish you weren't wearing shrink-wrap!
All oil companies have guide lines for minimum PPE to be worn on the job in which pilots will probably be mentioned (the passengers will definitely be mentioned), check there first.
Good luck.
Flip
For one, Airline pilots don't spend most of their time at sea bird altitudes, have a look around and I'm sure you'll find pics of birds through windscreens. Given this, helmets and at least safety glasses should be a must!
Flying gloves/suits? (Don’t forget good foot wear) yip! Have a cockpit fire and you'll start to wish you weren't wearing shrink-wrap!
All oil companies have guide lines for minimum PPE to be worn on the job in which pilots will probably be mentioned (the passengers will definitely be mentioned), check there first.
Good luck.
Flip
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Safety and Survival
Mate, you are on the right track and if your management can't see the light then they need to take a good close look at what they are doing. Don't forget to add to your argument that after you fall in the water, assuming you are lucky enough to escape the helo, then a good helmet is invaluable for (a) protecting the head from wind and water = hypothermia and (b) protecting the head from the sun = heat stroke, heat exhaustion, or life threatening (yes) sunburn. Both (a) and (b) will cause you to loose conciousness and hey presto, you just drowned. Not all of us fly in areas where a rescue helo or vessel will be on scene straight away, in my case I expect to be in the water for anything up to 24 hrs, if I'm lucky enough to be found. I am very fammiliar with your issue and can only say good luck - I have had friends seriously burnt through not wearing appropriate flying clothing, almost blinded through bird-strike, and had their lives saved by wearing a helmet that was struck by the rotor in a crash. I wear a helmet offshore, much to the chagrin of the CP and GM who beleive that we too should look like airline pilots, but they really can't order me not too as the OH & S people would have a field day. Pretty stange attitude considering the (large) oil company we work for has extremely strict rules on safety equipment.
Good luck!
Good luck!
Can't say I am in favour of steel capped boots but that is just my opinion.
Back in the "roll your own barrels /pump your own fuel” daze they were a good idea. Not at -40 C however. Footwear that is easy to get out, should swimming be called for, would be nice.
My employer and I have agreed to disagree on the subject of uniforms.
They think that white shirts and dark blue pants look professional. I agree as long as I am climbing into a 747. They have so far not agreed to purchase the required 747 nor have they agreed to endorse me on the darn thing if they do. There the matter rests.
I think we should have grey or beige flight suits.
I do not agree with dark blue flight suits in tropical climes. My suggestion that if the high priced help would agree to come outside and stand around wearing one on the ramp for an hour or two at plus 35 C on a sunny day they would change their position was not acted upon. A couple of hours sitting in the cockpit facing into the sun would probably also change their standpoint somewhat. My proposal for air-conditioning in the a/c nearly made them drop their bonus cheques and stock options. My further suggestion that, if AC is unecessary, they should, in a show of solidarity, therefore turn off the AC in their offices also met with uncalled for ridicule and abuse.
Helmets are a good idea and the use thereof for should be encouraged. I used mine for 20 years until chronic neck pain became a factor. I actually found them more comfortable than headsets. While some of my fellows disagreed with its use my employer is supportive and will pay for half. They will also pay for 1/2 of an ANC Headset.
A couple of small maglites are always in my flight bag (along with spare batteries and bulbs) and on my person during night flight. The mandatory leatherman is a given. A good seat belt cutter in your lifevest pocket is also a very good idea. (We may need to cut a seatbelt or cut a raft free. A "Rambo" knife capable of taking out a sentry or impressing Crocodile Dundee is a bit of overkill.)
A Sartech ( God bless every last one of them ) once told me to dress and equip yourself as if all you would exit the a/c with during an incident would be be what you are carrying upon your person - darn good advice.
However there is no reason to stomp around looking like a WW2 USN pilot planning to drift around the Pacific for a week or two.
Common sense should prevail.
Back in the "roll your own barrels /pump your own fuel” daze they were a good idea. Not at -40 C however. Footwear that is easy to get out, should swimming be called for, would be nice.
My employer and I have agreed to disagree on the subject of uniforms.
They think that white shirts and dark blue pants look professional. I agree as long as I am climbing into a 747. They have so far not agreed to purchase the required 747 nor have they agreed to endorse me on the darn thing if they do. There the matter rests.
I think we should have grey or beige flight suits.
I do not agree with dark blue flight suits in tropical climes. My suggestion that if the high priced help would agree to come outside and stand around wearing one on the ramp for an hour or two at plus 35 C on a sunny day they would change their position was not acted upon. A couple of hours sitting in the cockpit facing into the sun would probably also change their standpoint somewhat. My proposal for air-conditioning in the a/c nearly made them drop their bonus cheques and stock options. My further suggestion that, if AC is unecessary, they should, in a show of solidarity, therefore turn off the AC in their offices also met with uncalled for ridicule and abuse.
Helmets are a good idea and the use thereof for should be encouraged. I used mine for 20 years until chronic neck pain became a factor. I actually found them more comfortable than headsets. While some of my fellows disagreed with its use my employer is supportive and will pay for half. They will also pay for 1/2 of an ANC Headset.
A couple of small maglites are always in my flight bag (along with spare batteries and bulbs) and on my person during night flight. The mandatory leatherman is a given. A good seat belt cutter in your lifevest pocket is also a very good idea. (We may need to cut a seatbelt or cut a raft free. A "Rambo" knife capable of taking out a sentry or impressing Crocodile Dundee is a bit of overkill.)
A Sartech ( God bless every last one of them ) once told me to dress and equip yourself as if all you would exit the a/c with during an incident would be be what you are carrying upon your person - darn good advice.
However there is no reason to stomp around looking like a WW2 USN pilot planning to drift around the Pacific for a week or two. Common sense should prevail.
Papa,
I would suggest that reluctance has nothing to do with that at all....but rather lies within the NIH principle of management.
NIH being defined as : Not Invented Here
Are they paying you wages akin to Airline pay and providing benefits and accomodation akin to Airlines?
Management currently subscribes to the view that we perform duties akin to airline pilots and therefore should wear similar uniforms. I believe corporate image may have something to do with their resistence to change.
NIH being defined as : Not Invented Here
Are they paying you wages akin to Airline pay and providing benefits and accomodation akin to Airlines?
pjtickn,
Just out of interest, why only night flights ? Presumably the length of time to be found comes into play. Better safe than sorry, I would have thought.
full mustang immersion suit for night flights offshore
Tightgit
Funny, this thread made me think of my short time in Aberdeen where our very experienced pilots wanted to get out of goonbags and wear an airline pilots uniform!
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Goon suits in Aberdeen
Some of us wear our goon suits all year. No! not when we are off duty, only when flying over that nasty, cold North Sea!!
The very thought of standing under the disc while on a deck with 50 knots blowing over it.....doesn't bear thinking about!!
It's also an OPs Manual requirement from October to April and for any night flight (or flight that could extend into night).
Sensible to me and most of the wrinklies in Aberdeen.
We also wear lifejackets and PLBs at all times. Still waiting for the issue of STASS or some other form of air supply system to be introduced though.
bondu
The very thought of standing under the disc while on a deck with 50 knots blowing over it.....doesn't bear thinking about!!
It's also an OPs Manual requirement from October to April and for any night flight (or flight that could extend into night).
Sensible to me and most of the wrinklies in Aberdeen.
We also wear lifejackets and PLBs at all times. Still waiting for the issue of STASS or some other form of air supply system to be introduced though.
bondu
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This thread is interesting reading!. I only carryout short transit flights over the sea ( which is usually below 15C ), and there is no no way that I would do so without a goon suit on!. I have the benefit of STASS and Dunker training and the thought of going down in the water surely makes me shiver.
I did not realize that things were not stricter in the civilian world with regard to H & S.
One of my dads mates was in a S61 that went down off stornoway in the 80's. I will never forget his recollection of the event!.
Is corporate image that important that safety is sacrificed???
Cheers
Ralph
I did not realize that things were not stricter in the civilian world with regard to H & S.
One of my dads mates was in a S61 that went down off stornoway in the 80's. I will never forget his recollection of the event!.
Is corporate image that important that safety is sacrificed???
Cheers
Ralph
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Robbo Jock,
By day, for 'revenue' flights we have a dedicated SAR aircraft (S76C) and crew.
Night flights offshore are only undertaken in the event of a medical or technical emergency without the protection of dedicated SAR, hence the immersion suits.
regards
PT
By day, for 'revenue' flights we have a dedicated SAR aircraft (S76C) and crew.
Night flights offshore are only undertaken in the event of a medical or technical emergency without the protection of dedicated SAR, hence the immersion suits.
regards
PT
pjtickn,
What's the water temperature and how long will it take to get the SAR aircraft out to you (and, importantly, find you) ? It's amazing how quickly being immersed can screw you up.
What's the water temperature and how long will it take to get the SAR aircraft out to you (and, importantly, find you) ? It's amazing how quickly being immersed can screw you up.
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Water temperature varies from aroud 12 - 18 degrees celsius.
Aircraft and private tower (manned at all times a/c are offshore) are equipped with Flite Trak, a GPS derived flight following system that reports the a/c position every 7 seconds. A manual report or "panic" button in the a/c sets off alarms and turns everything red in the tower with precise lat/long. Display in the tower is a computer screen that looks like a radar display with all the aircraft movements and a patch overlay.
Crews are well trained and aircraft well equipped.
Survival times are done to death every couple of years to justify the SAR aircraft and crew using the latest north sea and Canadian data.
We've got this covered and risk managed (as best you can).
regards,
PT
Aircraft and private tower (manned at all times a/c are offshore) are equipped with Flite Trak, a GPS derived flight following system that reports the a/c position every 7 seconds. A manual report or "panic" button in the a/c sets off alarms and turns everything red in the tower with precise lat/long. Display in the tower is a computer screen that looks like a radar display with all the aircraft movements and a patch overlay.
Crews are well trained and aircraft well equipped.
Survival times are done to death every couple of years to justify the SAR aircraft and crew using the latest north sea and Canadian data.
We've got this covered and risk managed (as best you can).
regards,
PT
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Apart from the goon suit I wish we had helmets, but we were given two excuses:
1. the "real" pilots in Aberdeen would not stand for it.
2. the passengers would demand their own or think helicopters aren't safe.
Never mind that I loose my hearing or split my head in an accident.
1. the "real" pilots in Aberdeen would not stand for it.
2. the passengers would demand their own or think helicopters aren't safe.
Never mind that I loose my hearing or split my head in an accident.
Back in S58T days....doing the Ninian Shuttle...a couple of us wore helmets for a while until the "customers" concept prevailed.
I would think in Oz being a quick snack for Great Whites and their cousins would be the greater risk than expiring due to exposure.
I would think in Oz being a quick snack for Great Whites and their cousins would be the greater risk than expiring due to exposure.
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Originally Posted by handysnaks
Funny, this thread made me think of my short time in Aberdeen where our very experienced pilots wanted to get out of goonbags and wear an airline pilots uniform!
NC43