What Employers Need to Know About OEUK’s New Offshore Weight Limit

The Facts 

OEUK (Offshore Energies UK) are introducing a Safe Weight Limit Policy (SWLP) for offshore workers, which they estimate nearly 5% of the offshore workforce will exceed. Their data suggests that between 4,000 and 5,000 offshore workers will be affected by these rules.  

The limit is set at 124kg (19.5 stone/273.37lbs) for a clothed worker. Clothed means a worker who is dressed ‘in accordance with the industry travel clothing policy for the relevant season.’ Notably, this includes shoes. The restriction applies to outbound flights only, and there are no weight restrictions for return flights to shore. 

During the period the OEUK have entitled the ‘Transition Period’ (1st Feb – 31st October 2026), OEUK medical examiners may have been issuing reduced-duration medical certificates to those near or above 124kg. This is designed to ensure individuals are aware of the approaching deadline, and may begin to take appropriate steps to mitigate issues ahead of the formal Mandatory Compliance deadline of 1 Nov 2026.  

At the Mandatory Compliance deadline, all workers over 124kg cannot travel offshore. No certificates will be issued to anyone over this weight. The OEUK allow for a 0.7kg safety margin to ‘accommodate minor fluctuations in weight during the offshore trip without onerously excluding workers.’  

All offshore installations are covered if they operate under accepted Safety Cases as defined in the Offshore Installations (Offshore Safety Directive) (Safety Case etc.) Regulations 2015.  

How Will Weight Be Taken? 

The OEUK policy guidance provides that the main route for monitoring weight will be through the Medical Fitness of Offshore Work Guideline. Where a worker exceeds the weight fully clothed at their biennial (once every two years) medical examination, they will not be issued their fitness to work certificate, and weight-loss programmes will be recommended.  

Notably, workers weighing between 120.1kg (18 stone 12.8lbs/264.7lbs) and 124kg at their medical examinations will receive a reduced-duration medical certificate valid for up to three months to encourage weight loss. Meanwhile, workers weighing between 115kg (18.1 stone/253.5lbs) and 120kg (18 stone 12lbs/264.5lbs) at their exams will receive a reduced-duration certificate for up to six months. Even those workers whose weight exceeds 110kg (17.4lbs/242.5lbs) but is less than 115k at their medical will be reminded of the 124kg weight limit.  

Thereafter, the company will be expected to modify their worker mobilisation procedures to ensure that individuals close to the weight limit are flagged early to prompt them to check their weight and confirm they remain under the limit before travelling to the heliport.  

Finally, at the heliport, workers will continue to be weighed as part of the standard flight check-in arrangements. Workers weighing more than 124kg (even so much as 124.1kg) clothed on the outbound flight will not be permitted to travel from 1st November 2026 even if they hold an otherwise valid and in-date OEUK medical certificate.  

OEUK Justification 

Search and Rescue (SAR) helicopters in the UK, Norway and the Netherlands use winches certified to a maximum lift capacity of 124.7kg once the winchman and rescue equipment are accounted for. This means that someone who is over the weight threshold cannot safely be guaranteed rescue by a helicopter in an emergency.  

Search and Rescue procedures can be high-risk, and these helicopters are often the primary mode of transport for anyone who may experience a serious or time-critical emergency – medical or otherwise – offshore. The reason the OEUK policy focusses so heavily on SAR helicopters and their capacity is that they are frequently the fastest way to get a critically ill or injured person to medical care ashore.  

Consequences of Not Meeting the Weight Requirement 

The short answer is that offshore employees simply won’t be allowed to fly if they exceed the weight requirements. As employers, however, you will be under a duty to consider alternative employment and any other support you can provide. If a suitable alternative option cannot be found, termination of employment may be a possibility, so emphasising the seriousness of this new policy to workers – both in terms of the realities of implementation and of the consequences otherwise – is essential.  

What Should Employers Do Right Now?  

Employers should discuss with employees what this will mean in practice. They should make it clear that the weight restriction not only will be in force from the 1st November 2026, but that it is when they will be fully clothed as according to industry travel clothing policy for the season, including shoes.  

Employees need to consent to any medical information about them being shared to their employers, so it would be useful to confirm with your medical examination provider that this consent is going to be involved in their information sheet. However, you will need to amend data privacy notices to include this requirement and explain to employees: 

• Why you as their employer and data controller will hold their data; 

• What you will do with the data whilst it is held; 

• Whether it will be provided to third parties; 

• Whether you have placed restrictions on what the third parties can use this data for, where relevant; and  

• For how long you will continue to hold the data. 

Make clear to employees what these measures will involve, such as when and where they will be weighed, and of the potential consequences of not meeting the weight requirement. Noting the reason for this restriction – the helicopter winch limit, which, if exceeded, means rescue by SAR helicopter cannot be guaranteed – may make these discussions easier. It is really important to stress the seriousness of the policy and the concurrent consequences to avoid situations where individuals cannot fly at the heliport, leaving teams short-staffed and individuals, potentially, on the road to termination as noted above.  

You should consider what support can be provided to staff broadly as well as to individual workers to make sure that they maintain their weight below 124kg. It may be beneficial to review workers with medical expiry dates beyond the implementation dates to pre-empt issues at the heliport.   

The OEUK recommend that employers seek to identify workers who are likely to be impacted by implementation of this policy as early as possible to highlight the changes, detail available support and signpost available weight loss programmes.  

If you are bringing in any weight-related measures prior to the formal mandatory implementation deadline of the 1st November, make employees aware of any earlier restrictions that may come into effect.  

Employers should also offer some assistance, or at the very least signpost weight loss programmes or other options, particularly in the case of some specialists who are offering programmes targeted at offshore workers struggling with the weight limit. Encouraging employees to speak to their managers or to HR about any concerns is also highly recommended, as this can raise issues early and allow for support measures to be implemented.   

Consider what support you are making available to workers across this process, with respect to size and resources. In particular, for those workers receiving restricted-period medicals, consider what your stance will be on financing or assisting the financing of potential additional medicals.   

The OEUK have provided some weight loss advice in Appendix B of the Explanatory Notes to their policy, including a number of services tailored to offshore workers and sources for those considering weight loss. Giving access to services or providing pointers designed to create a healthy lifestyle change, rather than encouraging individuals to go on crash diets or lose a significant amount of weight rapidly, which can do significant damage to the body, is highly recommended. They have also provided supporting materials including slides and posters to raise awareness of the new rule.  

It is really important that proper procedures are put into place and adhered to surrounding this policy. As individuals may lose their jobs over these measures and under the new Employment Rights Bill, unfair dismissal becomes a day-one right, providing evidence of creating and adhering to fair and reasonable policies and procedures is essential.  

It may also be worth considering or reviewing your policy around medication and substances in light of these changes. In this day and age, with weight loss injections such as semaglutide (brand names include Ozempic, Rybelsus and Wegovy) and tirzepatide (brand names Mounjaro, Zepbound) becoming increasingly common and accessible, establishing your stance on the usage, storage, transportation and safety concerns surrounding these kinds of medications for offshore workers seeking to use them as a tool to manage weight will help ensure consistency and workability. In particular, employers should consider whether disclosure of the use of these kinds of medication as there may be an impact on whether or not individuals are considered fit for offshore work, whether medical advice or clearance is needed, the transport and storage of medication offshore. Furthermore, refreshing medical and health and safety policies not only in line with the changes to the weight policy but in a proactive manner to adapt to the changing landscape of weight-management drugs and their associated risks and side effects is advisable.   

Ultimately, this limit as imposed by OEUK is likely to bring significant pressures to both workers, who risk losing their jobs or may put their health at risk to make their weight, and employers, who risk losing part of a skilled and experienced workforce. Employers should take a considered approach, emphasising the seriousness of the consequences but with a reasonable understanding of the difficulties implicit in many of these conversations. Clear communication, early engagement and proper documentation of supportive processes will be key to managing the transition fairly and reducing the risk of difficult situations arising at the point of travel.