Health & Safety Report 2013

HEALTH & SAFETY REPORT 2013

Helicopter Safety Two controlled landings on water last year and the suspension of the EC225 fleet brought aviation safety to the forefront, led by the Helicopter Safety Steering Group (HSSG) 23 . The group has been acting as a focal point for industry communication and will take a final decision on any return to flying of the EC225s on the UKCS once regulatory approval is in place. The HSSG has: • Communicated helicopter safety issues using dedicatedwebpages, Q&As, factsheets, e-newsletters, videos and events • Visited Eurocopter’s manufacturing and test facility in France to witness the various strands of the investigation into gearbox failures Identifying Hazards and Controlling Risk Step Change has succeeded in improving recognition of potential hazards and has helped to raise awareness of them. Highlights include: • Three tiers of assurance and verification guidance published for all levels of the workforce 24 • Formation of a new work group focusing on safe transfer of personnel offshore by means other than helicopter Joined-up Thinking 2013 saw the launch of Joined-up Thinking – a series of engagement packs 25 which link together good practice from across the steering groups. These packs are designed to increase the workforce’s awareness of different safety issues and get them to think differently about their safety. The focus for 2013’s Joined-up Thinking packs is hydrocarbon releases.

23 http://www.stepchangeinsafety.net/about/HelicopterSafetySteeringGroup.cfm 24 The Assurance and Verification Guidance is available on the Step Change in Safety website at: http://www.stepchangeinsafety.net/knowledgecentre/publications/publication.cfm/publicationid/92 25 The Joined-Up Thinking packs are available at: http://www.joinedup-thinking.co.uk/

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