As an offshore helideck assistant you will support scheduled flights delivering supplies and personnel to and from the installation.
For all but the largest cargo, the oil & gas industry uses helicopters to carry out movements. This consists of near daily movements and is one of the more risky operations that takes place offshore.
This is a varied role which includes ensuring the helideck platform is correctly prepared for helicopter movements including any signage and maintenance and that any breaches of health and safety are reported to the helicopter landing officer. You will form part of the Emergency Response team as well ensuring refuelling takes place in a safe and timely manner. The helideck assistant role will carry out banksman slinger duties ensuring safe crane operations unloading and loading cargo.
Salary and Progression
This role requires quite a bit of training, however starting salaries can be as high as £20,000-£25,000 then once you have some experience you could expect to earn over £35,000.
Once you have experience you can expect to progress to a team leader role or become the Helicopter Landing Officer (HLO)
Training and Experience Requirements
To be a helideck assistant you must carry some specific and general offshore training including:
- OPITO HDA (Heli Deck Assistant)
- OPITO HERTM (Helideck Emergency Response Team Member)
You can also upgrade your HERTM to a HERTL (Team Leader) once you have the team member certificate.
In addition, to work offshore at all, you will require valid basic offshore certificates including:
- BOSIET
- MIST
- CA-EBS
- Shoulder Measurements
- Offshore Medical
It is likely that an employer will ask for other certificates too. It’s always a good idea to look at a range of job posts to identify commonly requested training requirements.
