Blood pressure, diabetes and weight were the main causes of failed Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) oil and gas medicals last year.
According to its new health and safety report, a total of 150,550 medicals were carried out in 2022, the highest level yet and up from 111,612 in 2021.
Of those, 1,308 North Sea medicals failed.
Blood pressure was the number one cause of all failed medicals – one in five – while diabetes accounted for 15% (22,582), and “BMI/ Weight” accounted for 10% failed North Sea medicals in 2022.
It comes amid rising questions around the weight and size of the workforce, currently being reviewed by the trade body.
Earlier this month, letters obtained by Energy Voice from HSE revealed over a third of workers are now thought to be too heavy to safely fit inside most lifeboats being used in the UK sector.
OEUK has said that so long as workers have a valid medical, their weight/size will not preclude them from going offshore.
The issue includes problems around the overall size of workers and ensuring life-saving equipment is fit for purpose.
On failed certificates, the trade body said cardiac and medication issues are of particular concern for the 50-59 age group.
Meanwhile weight/ BMI is “the commonest cause among the under-30s”.
OEUK said: “Overall health challenges for the workforce include high blood pressure and diabetes and could be related to the increasing weight/body mass index (BMI) of the workforce.
“Overall health and wellbeing will be a focus for OEUK in addition to traditional occupational health going forward.”
When questioned on how OEUK aims to address this issue, HSE and operations director, Mark Wilson, told Energy Voice: “Some of the actions for consideration will include wider wellbeing, as well as aspects of diet, exercise and medical assessments.
“It is recognised that there are no overnight solutions, and we continue to work across the industry to positively influence the offshore energy industry’s health and safety culture.”
Mr Wilsons said that initiatives to tackle these issues will be carried out by “a wide number of stakeholders” including Step Change in Safety, OEUK’s Occupational Health and Hygiene Technical Group and the Topside Medical Forum, which represents OEUK’s doctors.
Medevacs at five-year high
The report also revealed that the number of ‘medevacs’ in UK waters has hit its highest rate in five years.
A total of 337 medevacs were carried out by the Coastguard in 2022, affecting 0.87% of the offshore population.
This has gone up from the 0.43% reported in 2017, meaning the proportion of workers affected by medevacs has doubled in the last half decade.
OEUK says that “cardiac incidents” were the common reason for medevac in 2022, accounting for 27%.
Minor issues can be treated on the installation without recourse to onshore treatment, meaning that the incidents that require medevac are beyond what offshore medics in medical facilities on offshore installations can deal with.
OEUK reports: “There was a 29% increase in medevac flights in 2022 which suggests that there may be an over-reliance on the Coastguard in situations that are not acute.”
When treatment is considered a “matter of urgency” the emergency services,
including the HM Coastguard search-and-rescue helicopters, evacuate people.
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