HeliOffshore’s Helideck Work Group has prepared a report to highlight the top five safety events associated with helideck operations based on analysis of frontline data.

The analysis was collected from data provided by CHC Helicopter, BP and Chevron and sampled nearly 1000 events between 2016 and 2018.  After identifying the top five issues, the group will be asking member companies to share their lessons learned and success stories from these areas and, as necessary, develop new practices.

The Helideck Work Group, which includes representatives from Oil & Gas companies, helicopter operators, industry associations and regulators, started meeting in October 2018 with the objective to review, define and standardise helideck safety opportunities in the areas mentioned below:

1. Helideck management;

2. Helideck inspections;

3. SIMOPS (Multiple helicopters operating to/from helidecks in close proximity and/or the same helideck simultaneously and /or other vessels (bar the safety vessel) and operations ongoing within the 500m zone);

4. Pitch/roll and heave limits; and

5. Helideck design and obstacles.

The group is now taking steps to expand HeliOffshore’s established Infoshare portal for confidentially reporting safety events among member companies to include helideck incidents whilst actively encouraging the continued reporting of helideck events, potential events and examples of good practice within member’s safety management systems.  It is by people on the frontline – helideck crews; flight crews; etc. – highlighting this information that allowed the working group to focus on the areas that can provide the biggest safety impact and continually drive industry improvement.

All HeliOffshore members are committed to developing solutions to address the issues identified.