Offshore Dacon Scoop Health and Safety Petition
Flights to and from the UK’s oil platforms are routinely made from the heliports at Aberdeen
and other UK heliports. These flights are made day in day out almost every day of the year
under some of the most dangerous and challenging of environments imaginable.
The primary concern of UNITE and BALPA members, is the safety and the well-being of
those onboard offshore flights. If there is a situation that would threaten safety pilots will
take the appropriate action necessary up to and including the withdrawal of the aircraft from
service; however this decision can only be taken within strict guidelines.
A situation could arise within the current flying procedures where the weather, sea-state or
combination of both, could expose those on-board to unacceptable risks, for example, where
the planned flight is predicated on the use of the ‘Dacon Scoop’ as the only method of
rescue from the sea should there be an accident or a ditching at sea.
The Dacon Scoop is a large shipboard device consisting of large crane-like booms combined
with heavy webbing; the ‘Scoop’ is manoeuvred into place by the vessel. This is an
extremely hazardous manoeuvre under the most challenging of circumstances especially in
poor weather conditions and is not the basis on which to safely plan any rescue.
If the conditions are so rough as to prohibit any rescue other than by Dacon Scoop,
then we do not believe operators should expect pilots to fly.
Please support the campaign to improve health and safety for ALL offshore workers and
pilots by signing the petition and encourage your colleagues, friends, family to sign
it too.
If you have any queries regarding the petition please contact the Unite Aberdeen office on:
01224 645 271