26,100 offshore workers trained with Emergency Breathing System

More than 26,100 people in the UK have completed their training with the new Emergency Breathing System, that is expected to deliver improved levels of safety for offshore helicopter passengers.

According to Step Change in Safety, this number is the equivalent to almost all of the core offshore workforce.

The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the UK’s specialist aviation regulator, in June announced the approval of a new enhanced emergency breathing system. The approval followed a series of measures announced in February to increase the safety of offshore helicopter flights.

The work to develop the new system and lifejacket has been coordinated by the CAA with the safety partnership Step Change in Safety and the manufacturer Survitec.

The industry is on-track to reach the first deployment date of the system 18th August from Scatsta and Sumburgh.

Industry plans for all flights to use the new Lifejacket and EBS, so everyone travelling to an offshore installation after 1st September 2014 will need to be trained.

Also, starting January 1, 2014, Emergency Breathing System (EBS) will be compulsory, meaning that helicopter flights will only be permitted after January 1, 2015 if passengers are equipped with the new emergency breathing equipment.

Related: New EBS equipment training for offshore helicopter passengers