Hundreds of North Sea offshore workers who exceed new helicopter safety limits are being offered weight-loss jabs to save their jobs, according to a report by The Telegraph.
From 1 November 2026, any worker arriving at a heliport who weighs more than 124kg in their clothing and shoes will be barred from flying out to sea.
The Safe Weight Limit Policy was introduced by trade body Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) a year ago, with the mandatory compliance coming into force in less than two months.
It was introduced because search and rescue helicopters in the UK, Norway and the Netherlands use winches with a strict maximum lift capacity of 249kg. If a worker has to be evacuated, when accounting for the weight of a rescue winchman, a stretcher, and emergency gear, their weight cannot exceed 124kg to be lifted safely.
OEUK said the average weight of offshore workers has increased by almost 10kg since 2008, and when it announced the new limit last year, it estimated that more than 2,200 workers were...