LISTEN: Offshore Workers 'Growing Heavier'

Offshore workers are around a fifth heavier than 30 years ago, research has found.

A large-scale study of the current North Sea workforce using 3D body scanners was carried out to inform future changes to safety equipment and the design of offshore installations and platforms.

The research team from Robert Gordon University (RGU) in Aberdeen found male offshore oil and gas workers weigh on average 14st 4lb (91.7kg) in clothing, almost 19% heavier than in the mid-1980s.

The average height is now 5ft 8in (1.78m), 2% taller than in the 80s.

A total of 588 workers of various weight were selected for the study, with each undergoing seven body scans which took 26 measurements.

But Doctor Arthur Stewart - who led the project - says it's not all fat:

Previous studies have led to changes in safety rules and a reduction in capacity for offshore helicopter flights.

Dr Stewart said: We now have a unique insight as to how the shape of offshore workers has altered profoundly since the 1980s. The scanning technology enables us to visualise the typical shape of a person of a given weight.

Compared with that of a generation ago when many of the North Sea installations were constructed, the size of today's workforce, together with the size increase imposed by different types of clothing, will enable space-related risk to be managed and future design for space provision optimised.

In addition to the data on offshore workers, the study has generated an ongoing capability for measuring the size and shape of the offshore workforce in the future.

Despite challenging times for the oil and gas industry, this is good news for the offshore workforce and provides valuable information which will inform operational decisions and aspects of offshore installation and safety equipment design.''

Robert Paterson of Oil & Gas UK said: This has been a hugely beneficial collaboration between academia and industry. Data collected will inform all aspects of offshore ergonomics and health and safety, from informing seat design for use in helicopters and lifeboats, survival suit design and space availability in corridors and work environments offshore.

Our research partnership has also been very timely because it has also helped inform the work being done in response to Civil Aviation Authority concerns about passenger size and helicopter emergency push-out window size.''