HeliOffshore releases annual offshore aviation industry safety report for 2022

HeliOffshore has today (11 July 2023) published its fifth annual Industry Safety Performance Report with figures for 2022, the only global perspective on the safety performance of the offshore aviation industry.

The report reveals Western OEM helicopters transporting passengers for the offshore energy industry suffered 22 accidents in the five-year period from 2018-2022, of which 10 were fatal and resulted in 29 fatalities.

In 2022, the sector saw 11 accidents, of which six were fatal, resulting in 14 lives lost.

The report also found that over the past decade (2013-2022), the three most common causes of fatal accidents remain: loss of control in flight; controlled flight into terrain or water; and system or component failure or malfunction (non-powerplant).  These factors accounted for three-quarters of the fatal accident occurrences.

The 2022 data identified new contributing factors linked to helideck infrastructure and pilot physical health.

Dr Matthew Greaves, author of the report and Director of HeliOffshore’s Safety Intelligence Programme, commented: “This report gives a consolidated picture of safety performance in the global offshore energy aviation industry. While we should recognise the positive trend in safety performance in recent years, the findings in this report show a negative trend in safety performance for 2022 that must be understood and addressed.

“Only through collaboration can we effectively manage existing risks, detect and react to new risks as they emerge and focus on identifying key safety priorities going forwards, as we collectively progress towards our vision of a safer frontline served by an open, responsive and aligned industry.”

The annual industry safety report is compiled using data gathered from operators, OEMs and industry bodies and combined with information from agencies and regulators to give an overall safety picture for the offshore aviation sector as part of HeliOffshore’s Safety Intelligence Programme.

HeliOffshore’s data-driven reporting enables the offshore aviation industry to take targeted action to eliminate the most common types of accident, identify new and emerging safety issues, and work collaboratively towards the overall goal of no lives lost in offshore aviation.

Tim Rolfe, CEO at HeliOffshore, added: “Our annual safety report provides an opportunity for reflection and subsequent action across the industry. Through publishing safety data, we aim to spearhead safety conversations and galvanise collective industry action to ensure no more lives are lost in offshore aviation. We encourage organisations across the sector to ask, where does your safety performance sit in these statistics, where should it be and what’s your contribution to industry-wide improvement?”

The full report is available at https://www.helioffshore-industry-report.org where the information can be easily accessed.

Members can also draw on HeliOffshore’s membership support and resources to help close the gaps organisations identify in their operations.