The global safety and skills organization for the energy industry, OPITO, has granted greater flexibility for training centers to offer helicopter underwater escape training (HUET) to offshore workers, in line with its energy industry diversification.

Global training centers can now offer HUET as a standalone course, irrespective of offering full basic offshore safety induction and emergency training (BOSIET) on site.

This move allows global training centers to offer further variety of courses and passes efficiencies to industry workers, enabling increased mobility and tailored training across different parts of the energy sector.

In a simulated environment, energy workers undertaking the HUET courses will demonstrate that they can use safety equipment and follow procedures in preparing for and during helicopter emergencies, with a particular focus on escaping from a helicopter following ditching.

The HUET standards provide the opportunity to achieve safety approval for tailored environments and scenarios, including:

• HUET with emergency breathing system, for those who will be supplied with a rebreather emergency breathing system (EBS) during offshore helicopter travel.
• HUET with compressed air emergency breathing system, for those who will be supplied with a compressed air emergency breathing system (CA-EBS) during offshore helicopter travel.
• Tropical HUET, for those who will undertake helicopter travel in a tropical environment.

HUET-only courses provide opportunities for organizations and workers to select the necessary level of training standard required for work across the

“Helicopters play an important role in transferring our energy workforce safely offshore. energy industry, from oil and gas to renewables.

Ewen Hay, Director of Products & Services at OPITO. (Image credit: OPITO)

Ewen Hay, Director of Products & Services at OPITO, said: “By achieving an OPITO approved HUET standard, offshore workers will benefit from the assurance of being equipped to deal with relevant and extensive helicopter-related scenarios.

“Across the energy mix, workers increasingly need to be prepared for helicopter travel. Within the growing market of offshore renewable energy projects, operations are executed within deep waters and crew transfers are now often made via helicopter as opposed to exclusively by boat.

“At OPITO, we are constantly adapting and responding to industry megatrends and the requirements of the workforce and training centers as we accelerate towards net zero. We are committed to enabling offshore energy personnel to feel secure and confident that they have the highest level of competence training when it comes to ensuring a safe journey offshore and when returning home. Working closely with our global training centers, we look forward to making sure that the extensive energy workforce can take advantage of and benefit from even easier and more streamlined access to achieving HUET-only standards.”