Today's free-fall lifeboats have seats and belts certified for a body weight of 100 kilos. The oil industry is now considering tightening health regulations.

"Seats in the lifeboats are not of the right dimensions for big and heavy people. They are designed with the proportions of a normal person in mind. Those who are over the norm will have problems, "says Kjetil Hjertvik, communication advisor for OLF.

Leif Johan Sevland is 1,92 metres in height.

"And well over a hundred kilos. I'll soon need my own lifeboat "quips the mayor of the energy capital.

Report on lifeboats

OLF has prepared a detailed report dealing with g-force and the pressure continental-shelf employees can be exposed to in the drop from so-called free-fall lifeboats.

The report concludes that all seat-belts and the majority of the seats in the 212 free-fall lifeboats which exist today on the Norwegian continental shelf, need to be replaced.

New health regulations

OLF recommends also that the industry enters into a dialogue with the authorities and trade unions to see if it is necessary to tighten health regulations for continental shelf employees. In this event, the person who writes a health certificate will have to pay special attention to weight and height.

The OLF report states that persons who weigh over 120 kilos can be refused work on installations where there are lifeboats that have only been tested on persons up to 100 kilos.

Difficult for tall people

The OLF-report also says that persons over two metres tall can have problems in some lifeboats finding a seat with enough room between their head and the ceiling.

Where the total weight of persons in a lifeboat is a lot, it can cause the boat to go deeper in the sea, and increase pressure on the hull.

Sevland is however not afraid that his days offshore may be counted.

"I feel secure that the industry takes seriously new information about the lifeboats and adapts them so that they fit both tall and heavy persons," says Sevland.

Nothing about weight

There are already regulations for those who work at sea. Staff have to provide a new health certificate from a doctor every year. Yet no limits have been set for weight, for example.

"In an evacuation it is important that employees are in a fairly good physical condition. The medical sector of the industry will now need to decide whether there is a need for tightening today's health regulations," says Hjertvik.

Not precise

Paal Nordheim is a specialist in general medicine and the general manager of Forusakutten (emergency clinic) in Sandnes. He writes out many health certificates for offshore employees and is also a registered seaman's doctor. He wants to see clearer regulations.

"The problem with the regulations for offshore medical certificates today is that they are not precise enough. A lot is left to the opinion of the doctor. For those who work at sea, regulations are a lot more precise," says Nordheim.

For seamen there is little doubt: if their BMI is too high, there is no trip out to sea.

Tackle evacuation

"Seamen with a BMI over 35 are not allowed out to sea without a special dispensation. Those with a BMI between 30 and 35 are borderline, and their weight is reviewed in relation to other factors. Some people weigh a lot because they have a lot of muscle mass," says the doctor.

"The point of the health certificates is to ensure that people are fit enough to tackle an evacuation. In addition, it is important that people are not so heavy that others will have problems helping them in an emergency situation," says Nordheim.

Pregnant earlier on land

The OLF report in addition points out that the way people physically tackle an evacuation with free-fall lifeboats differs.

"Todays demands don't take into consideration the fact that people with muscle- and bone problems can be more prone than others to injury in an evacuation," says Hjertvik.

The report also concludes with the fact that knowledge is lacking about how pregnant women cope with the life-boat drop.

"We recommend that there should be a review of whether pregnant women should stop working before the 28th week of pregnancy, which is the limit today.

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