𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

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Hundreds of offshore workers could be at risk of losing their jobs when a new weight limit comes into effect next week, an industry body has warned.

Trade body Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) is bringing in guidelines from November which will require all those working offshore to weigh less than 124kg (19.5st).

OEUK said this is required on safety grounds, as it is the most a person can weigh when they are being winched from a platform into a helicopter during an emergency evacuation.

Since announcing the policy in 2025, the body said it has helped operators identify and implement measures to slim down their offshore workforces.

OEUK health and safety leader Graham Skinner said this included the “wide uptake” of GLP-1 weight-loss jabs, with some employers installing additional fridges to store the medication.

However he said weight-loss jabs are just one of the measures workers are using to trim the pounds, and they are not being treated as a “blanket solution” to the problem.

The number of workers over the 124kg limit has fallen from about 2,200 in early 2025 to 840 earlier this year, with the OEUK saying it is “delighted” so many have achieved it.

However an estimated 241-300 workers are projected to still be above the weight limit when the policy comes into effect, meaning they could face losing their jobs.

Mr Skinner said it is possible some of these people no longer work offshore in the UK, or that they will be moved to onshore roles by their employers.

“We are hoping that the vast majority of workers will have found a way through this,” he said on Thursday.

“But the reality is also that if somebody has chosen not to lose weight (or) doesn’t particularly want to comply with the policy for any reason, then there will be a route out of employment as well.

“Ultimately, it’s a safety policy, and it is related to capability.

“If somebody cannot mobilise for their work because they’re over the weight limit, then they will not be able to work.

“In the worst cases, that would mean somebody will lose their job.”

In the past, the industry made changes to safety equipment to compensate for the growing waistlines of offshore workers.

This included making lifeboats larger and more robust, and ensuring larger workers were seated next to the largest windows when travelling on helicopters.

However Mr Skinner said this was a case of only “addressing certain symptoms” of the problem, and the industry had needed to find a solution.

He explained that while the 124kg limit is based on helicopter winches, capping the weight of workers will benefit “all aspects” of life-saving equipment on offshore platforms.

He also said it could reduce the risk of medical evacuations for health-related reasons – including things like heart attacks and strokes – which in 2025 accounted for 78% of all medivacs.

He said those with the most weight to lose have had the “greatest concerns” about the policy since its announcement last year.

“It’s fair to say that everyone’s gone through that psychological process, that change curve of feeling that initial disbelief, anger, and all those emotions that go on when you’re faced with change,” he said.

“That really landed with those that are greatest affected. Those that have had to face a challenge of losing a significant amount of weight have obviously had the greatest concerns.

“However, the vast majority of workers who are already under 124kg and really unaffected by this are very pleased with the introduction of the weight limit.”

The policy has met with some pushback, with the RMT union saying it is concerned it could provide employers with a “convenient mechanism” to sack workers without proper redundancy procedures or financial compensation.

RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey said: “Nobody disputes that safety must be the overriding priority when working offshore.

“However, safety policies must be proportionate, evidence-based and developed through meaningful consultation with the workers they affect.

“RMT is calling on OEUK to withdraw the policy and engage in meaningful consultation with trade unions to establish a fair, proportionate and evidence-based approach to offshore safety.”