Hundreds of offshore workers could face redundancy when a new weight restriction comes into force next week, an industry body has cautioned. Trade body Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) is introducing guidelines from November requiring all offshore workers to weigh no more than 124kg (19.5st).
Safety rationale behind the 124kg limit
OEUK stated the measure is necessary on safety grounds, as this represents the maximum weight a person can be when winched from a platform into a helicopter during an emergency evacuation. Since announcing the policy in 2025, the body said it has assisted operators in identifying and implementing measures to reduce weight across their offshore workforces.
OEUK health and safety leader Graham Skinner said this included the "wide uptake" of GLP-1 weight-loss jabs, with some employers installing additional fridges to store the medication. However, he stressed that weight-loss jabs are just one of several measures workers are employing to shed the pounds, and are not being regarded as a "blanket solution" to the issue.
Progress and remaining numbers
The number of workers exceeding the 124kg threshold has dropped from approximately 2,200 in early 2025 to 840 earlier this year, with OEUK saying it is "delighted" that so many have managed to achieve it. Nevertheless, an estimated 241-300 workers are expected to remain above the weight limit when the policy takes effect, meaning they could potentially face losing their livelihoods.
Mr Skinner acknowledged that some of these individuals may no longer be working offshore in the UK, or could be redeployed to onshore roles by their employers. "We are hoping that the vast majority of workers will have found a way through this," he said on Thursday.
"But the reality is also that if somebody has chosen not to lose weight (or) doesn't particularly want to comply with the policy for any reason, then there will be a route out of employment as well. Ultimately, it's a safety policy, and it is related to capability. If somebody cannot mobilise for their work because they're over the weight limit, then they will not be able to work. In the worst cases, that would mean somebody will lose their job."
Industry shift from equipment adaptation
Previously, the industry had adapted safety equipment to account for the increasing weight of offshore workers. This involved enlarging lifeboats and making them more robust, as well as ensuring larger workers were seated next to the largest windows when travelling on helicopters.
However, Mr Skinner argued this amounted to merely "addressing certain symptoms" of the issue, and that the industry had been required to identify a more comprehensive solution. He explained that while the 124kg limit is based on helicopter winches, capping the weight of workers will benefit "all aspects" of life-saving equipment on offshore platforms.
He further noted it could lower the risk of medical evacuations for health-related reasons – including heart attacks and strokes – which in 2025 accounted for 78% of all medivacs.
Worker concerns and union resistance
He added that those with the most weight to lose had expressed the "greatest concerns" regarding the policy since its announcement last year. "It's fair to say that everyone's gone through that psychological process, that change curve of feeling that initial disbelief, anger, and all those emotions that go on when you're faced with change," he said.
"That really landed with those that are greatest affected. Those that have had to face a challenge of losing a significant amount of weight have obviously had the greatest concerns. However, the vast majority of workers who are already under 124kg and really unaffected by this are very pleased with the introduction of the weight limit."
The policy has faced some resistance, with the RMT union expressing concerns that it could hand employers a "convenient mechanism" to dismiss workers without proper redundancy procedures or financial compensation. RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey said: "Nobody disputes that safety must be the overriding priority when working offshore.
However, safety policies must be proportionate, evidence-based and developed through meaningful consultation with the workers they affect. RMT is calling on OEUK to withdraw the policy and engage in meaningful consultation with trade unions to establish a fair, proportionate and evidence-based approach to offshore safety."
