The reintroduction of personal locator beacons (PLBs) in the North Sea oil and gas sector will start next week.
The beacons, which are worn by passengers during helicopter flights to and from offshore sties, were recalled after it was found they interfered with other safety equipment last year.
Robert Paterson, safety director for trade association Oil and Gas UK, said: “Not only have the technical difficulties with PLBs interfering with other transmitters been resolved, we have also adopted more robust life-jacket mounted PLBs. “As the beacons are still being manufactured, it is not feasible to reintroduce them across the entire industry all at once, however we felt it important to start the roll out as soon as possible”.
The Aberdeen “hub” will be the first to see the new beacons, Southern North Sea helicopter hubs and Scatsa in Shetland.
Bob Keiller, chairman of the Helicopter Task Group, said: “As an industry we have collectively agreed to make PLBs standard issue on all UK oil and gas helicopter flights. With the reintroduction we are taking a major step forward in ensuring the safety of our offshore workforce.”
The Civil Aviation Authority instructed helicopter operators to keep the personal beacons switched off during flights last year, following an incident in February, when a Super Puma helicopter ditched 125 miles east of Aberdeen. An investigation revealed that when the personal beacons were activated they interfered with the long range rescue beacons fitted to the helicopter and life rafts, switching them off.
© PE Publishing, 05 February 2010
