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September 13, 2013

Unite calls for deeper inquiry into Super Puma safety

 

Workers’ union Unite has called for a public inquiry into the safety of Super Puma helicopters operating in the North Sea, in the wake of the incident last month that left four people dead.

The organization moved an emergency motion at the TUC Congress that called for full Fatal Accident Inquiries for incidents involving Super Pumas in recent years.

The motion demanded that all L2 Super Pumas remain grounded until declared fit and safe and that members are supported if they refuse to travel in the vehicles. It also demanded that helicopter operators and oil companies invest in new helicopter fleets.

Vice chair of the Unite national executive, Mark Lyon, told delegates that the Super Puma had been involved in several major accidents, but that full inquiries had not been carried out:

“In 2009, 16 people lost their lives in a tragedy off the coast of Aberdeen and the Fatal Accident Investigation has still not taken place€ᆭ.Our unions want a public inquiry, similar to the inquiry into the Piper Alpha tragedy 25 years ago. We want to know why these helicopters have had five incidents in four years.”

Lyon said that the union understood that there was no simple solutions to the issue, but that there needed to be some answers to ensure worker safety in the future.

“The only way for the industry to demonstrate that safety is of paramount importance is to hold an inquiry to get to the bottom of what happened, and we need to examine all issues connected to travel to and from work on helicopters,” he said. 

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