A UNION has demanded urgency in improving safety on Super Pumas, as some workers complained they were being forced back into the helicopters after last month's crash killed four people.
Unite spoke out after Finance Secretary John Swinney said the correct approach was to wait for the findings of the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) before deciding if a public inquiry is necessary into the tragic crash.
There is concern that Super Pumas have been cleared to fly again after a voluntary suspension, despite the fact the AAIB said it is too early to say whether they were safe to fly.
At least one helicopter firm began passenger flights to oil and gas installations after the crash off Shetland involving an AS332 L2 Super Puma on August 23.
The safety regulator, the Civil Aviation Authority, said that so far they do believe the accident was caused by an airworthiness or technical problem.
Offshore worker Will Sandison said he faced losing his job if he refused to fly in the "death traps."
He added: "I am disgusted with the decision by these companies to put any variation of Super Puma back in service.
"When you are crammed into the back of these with 17 of your colleagues with little chance of escape you desperately seek assurance that you are flying in something fit for purpose , can they say that these helicopters truly are?
"Lord Cullen's report into Piper Alpha changed the safety culture in the North Sea and has saved thousands of lives, we demand the same. We deserve no less."
Mr Swinney said: "There has to be an investigation of this particular incident, properly and fully, by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch and that has to report.
"And, as a consequence of that, it is incumbent - because this is what the law says - that the Civil Aviation Authority has to consider and apply any relevant changes to the safety regime as a consequence of the investigation carried out by the AAIB.
"The Government maintains the correct approach is to wait for the sequence of investigations to be undertaken before we come to any conclusion about the need for a wider inquiry."
Because many of the issues raised by such an inquiry are reserved to Westminster, the UK Government would also need to agree to this, Mr Swinney said.
Unite Scottish Secretary Pat Rafferty said the Scottish Government should not be waiting on the final report by the AAIB to begin the process of reforming offshore health and safety and basic questions about the conditions facing workers on helicopter transfers needed answering.
Mr Rafferty said: "It is not just a question of whether the Super Puma fleet is airworthy; it's also a question of whether they are fit for the purpose of commercial transfer."
Labour MSP Iain Gray said the helicopter transport system for North Sea oil workers will only be restored by a full, independent public inquiry.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article