ONE-THIRD of oil workers have warned they would not fly on Super Pumas again after the crash that killed four colleagues off Shetland.
A poll conducted after Friday's tragedy, when a helicopter plunged into the sea as it was bringing contractors back from working on a rig, also revealed 89% of staff wanted them taken out of service.
The helicopter fleet serves more than half of the North Sea industry. All similar models have been grounded, with oil workers forced to use other forms of transport, such as boats, while an investigation takes place.
The poll of 1000 staff by a leading oil industry recruitment website revealed a widespread lack of confidence in the way the industry dealt with helicopter safety issues. The survey found 80% believed that companies were putting profits first and safety was being compromised.
The results come ahead of a rally by oil workers today at the RMT union's Aberdeen headquarters. RMT general secretary Bob Crow said the union had been trying to speak to workers on platforms and at heliports to discuss their concerns. Officials have now been given access.
Crash victims Gary McCrossan, 59, from Inverness, Sarah Darnley, 45, of Elgin, Moray, Duncan Munro, 46, from Bishop Auckland, Co Durham and George Allison, 57, of Winchester, died as the CHC-operated helicopter which was flying from the Borgsten Dolphin platform dropped into the sea.
The crashed model's sister Super Puma, the EC225, was banned from flying over water for almost 10 months after two ditched last year because of gearbox problems.
Meanwhile, a recording of a meeting on August 8, weeks before the crash, between officials from gas company Total, CHC Helicopter and oil workers has emerged.
In it, one worker raised his fears over the safety of EC225 helicopters to be told by a CHC representative: "I have to say, how else are we going to get there? It is what we do. At some point we have to put our big boy pants on..."
They were told everyone had a choice of whether or not to work in the industry. CHC said the comments had been taken out of context.
Oilandgaspeople.com's poll found more than half (56%) of oil workers felt their opinion on helicopter safety matters was not taken seriously by their employer. Meanwhile, 59% felt the offshore oil and gas industry did not do enough to raise helicopter safety.
It also found that 53% of those questioned did not feel safe flying offshore. A total of 33% warned they would no longer travel on Super Pumas.
Some 57% of workers wanted to use other forms of transport, such as boats. Many wanted to see a different type of helicopter, the Sikorsky S-92, introduced. It is in operation in Norway.
Kevin Forbes, the website's managing director, said: "There are urgent issues the industry needs to address and we wanted to give everyone travelling offshore the chance to voice their opinions."
A spokesman for oil giant BP said it already used Sikorskys in the North Sea. However, Super Pumas handle 50% of its flights.
He added: "We will be looking to maximise their use and acquire more of these (Sikorsky) aircraft types to minimise the disruption. We are also actively managing demand by asking each facility to review activities that are not essential in the short-term."
A spokesman for the industry body, Oil & Gas UK said: "Helicopter safety remains a focus for the oil and gas industry and the Helicopter Safety Steering Group (HSSG) is now an established part of the Step Change in Safety organisation."
It is supporting the group's recommendation that each of the various models should only resume flying once the crash has been investigated.
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