Weighty issue for offshore workers, but help is here

From 1 November, anyone weighing more than 124kg fully clothed will not be permitted to board an outbound helicopter to a North Sea installation.

Dr Louise Slaney can help offshore workers get fitter

Let me start with what this policy is not. It is not a judgment on anyone's character, discipline or worth as a worker. It is a rescue capability constraint, and the arithmetic behind it is unforgiving.

Search and Rescue helicopter winches have a certified maximum lift capacity. Once the weight of the winchman, stretcher and rescue equipment is taken into account, the maximum capacity remaining for the casualty is 124.7kg.

The OEUK Safe Weight Limit Policy, developed in collaboration with HM Coastguard, helicopter operators and companies across the offshore industry, sets the operational threshold at 124kg. This incorporates a 0.7kg safety margin below the maximum casualty weight.

The point underneath the number is a hard one: winching is the primary rescue route, and if someone cannot be winched, the options narrow sharply.

The progress has been genuinely encouraging. OEUK's initial estimate suggested around 2,200 workers exceeded the limit. Its latest figure is between roughly 476 and 840 workers. Several hundred people have made significant changes to their health, kept their jobs, and are safer offshore as a result.

That said, the next few weeks are critical, and my concern is for the workers still above the limit.

At International Medical Management (IMM), we see the human reality behind these figures. Earlier this year, one offshore worker came to us weighing above the limit and facing the prospect of being unable to travel offshore.

They began a clinically supervised programme incorporating prescribed treatment where appropriate, changes to their diet and eating habits, increased physical activity and regular contact with a clinician. By late summer, they were comfortably below the threshold and they continue to work offshore.

What made the difference was not willpower alone. It was having enough time and receiving the appropriate professional support.

My central message to employers is therefore simple: identify anyone who may be affected and offer support now. Do not wait for their next offshore medical and certainly do not wait until the point of mobilisation.

A worker can hold a perfectly valid, in-date offshore medical certificate and still be refused travel at heliport check-in, because their weight will be measured on the day. For the individual, that could mean a lost shift and potentially lost earnings. For the employer, it could mean an unexpected gap in the crew at the worst possible moment.

We must also take care with the language we use. Obesity is a complex medical condition influenced by genetics, environment, medication, mental health and personal circumstances. It is not a lifestyle choice, and treating it as a moral failing helps nobody. It certainly does not help someone who may have spent years working long shifts in the middle of the North Sea.

The clinical picture has changed significantly in recent years. Lifestyle measures remain important, including balanced nutrition, realistic portion sizes and regular physical activity. GLP-1 medicines can also have a valuable role for some people when they are clinically appropriate, individually prescribed and properly monitored. Used as part of a supervised programme, they are transforming what can be achieved.

What I do not want to see over the coming weeks is workers resorting to crash diets to beat a deadline. Rapid, unsupervised weight loss driven by fear of losing access to work is neither healthy nor sustainable.

The goal should not simply be to get someone below a number by 31 October. It should be to help them improve their health and remain below the limit safely and sustainably.

And no, that does not mean chips are banned. Now and again is absolutely fine.

Louise Slaney is medical director at International Medical Management, the Aberdeen-based occupational health specialist. IMM provides doctor-led medical weight management alongside its offshore medical services.​