In the evening of 28 February, a Sikorsky S-92 helicopter crashed in the North Sea outside Sotra. Six people were on board the helicopter, and one person died as a result of the accident. It was the Equinor nurse Reidun Hestetun. In the period after the accident, many resources have been used to follow up the employees on the Norwegian continental shelf, according to several trade unions linked to the oil industry. – They have been followed up throughout the weekend. Both on oil platforms and on heliports, says Per Helge Ødegård, head of Eqaf. The crew on the helicopter belonged to both Bristow and Equinor. Ødegård says that a relatives’ center has been set up and that there will be available resources from both management and trade unions. – We have our own health service in Equinor. If someone wants to talk to a psychologist, they will of course be offered that, says Ødegård. Head of the Equinor employees’ association (Eqaf), Per Helge Ødegård. Photo: Thomas Ystrøm – Sitting there without talking to anyone Oil worker Espen Bjørge, who is employed by the company Kaefer, confirms that he and his colleagues have received a message about an offer to talk to a psychologist. But he is not particularly impressed with the follow-up beyond that. – I would not call the follow-up good. They have had representatives out at the heliport, but they just sit there without talking to anyone, he says. For several days after the accident, oil worker Espen Bjørge sat and waited for Sola to get out. Fog was the cause. Photo: Tom Edvindsen / news Bjørge says the workers themselves must go in to talk to them. He has done it himself and did not experience getting any particular response. – They cannot say anything. They say that we just have to wait for what they find out about the helicopter accident, he says. – Not the way it should be Erling Holmefjord is head of the department for working life at Industri Energi. Their impression is that much good has been done for the workers after the accident. He says it is therefore disappointing and inappropriate to hear that oil worker Bjørge does not have the same opinion. – If those who sit at the heliports don’t actually care to talk to those who are there, then it is in no way the way it should be, says Holmefjord. Head of department for working life at the trade union Industri Energi, Erling Holmefjord. Photo: Atle Espen Helgesen Holmefjord says those who travel to oil platforms should be welcomed in a way that makes them feel they can talk to someone. – If this system doesn’t work, it won’t help. I support Espen 100 percent that this is not right, he says. Thinks the “Turøy accident” has made its Holmefjord point to the Turøy accident in 2016 as the reason why the follow-up should be good today. – Equinor and Bristow have gained a lot of experience from 2016. This meant that a relatives’ center and staff were very quickly put in place to take care of those who were both directly and indirectly involved, and the relatives, he says. He hopes Equinor and Bristow follow up those directly involved in the accident outside Sotra. Also those who often travel out to the North Sea. – In 2016, there were some who quit offshore because they didn’t dare anymore. It must not happen now. Follow-up is important, says Holmefjord. Timeline: The helicopter crash west of Sotra This is what happened with the helicopter that crashed west of Sotra in Vestland. The newest updates are at the top of the timeline. Several of the times are taken from the Norwegian Central Rescue Service. The map shows when the helicopter flew before it crashed. The helicopter took off at Bergen airport, Flesland. Furthermore, the helicopter flew west and up the Hjeltfjord before it flew south and crashed west of Sotra. Below the map is the timeline with the latest news about the helicopter crash. The Accident Investigation Board has hired the ship Normand Ocean to both search for the helicopter and raise it during the weekend. – We hope to have this done during the weekend. But it depends on the weather, says Kåre Halvorsen, head of aviation at the Accident Investigation Board. Photo: Rosa Irén Villalobos / news Helicopter traffic on the Norwegian continental shelf has been suspended since Wednesday evening. Equinor writes in a press release that they have made clarifications with the authorities and professional circles for flight safety, so that a resumption of flights can take place in a safe way. A little before 12 noon on Friday, the first Sikorsky S-92 helicopter took off after the accident. Photo: Maja Mathisen / news The Swedish Accident Investigation Agency has hired an offshore ship to carry out the search and then raise the wreckage. The Accident Investigation Board writes on their website. Equinor confirms that they will resume helicopter flights on the Norwegian continental shelf on Friday. – We have lost a very respected and dear colleague who was incredibly dedicated in his work to ensure the safety of others, said Equinor CEO Anders Opedal yesterday. Photo: Eirik M. Sundt / Sykepleien There is a delay in flights until around 12 noon on Friday. This is stated in messages from Equinor and ConocoPhillips on the Heliport website. Through agreements with the helicopter manufacturers Bell and Leonardo, Equinor secures 15 new helicopters for passenger traffic on the Norwegian continental shelf. The helicopters are of the Bell 525 and AW189 types. Photo: Shutterstock editorial Police attorney Trygve Ritland in the West police district confirms to TV 2 that wreckage from the helicopter has been found. A rotor blade and a door from the helicopter. The Coast Guard no longer has a request for assistance from the police, and is therefore no longer in action in the search for wreckage from the helicopter that crashed outside Sotra on Wednesday evening. Photo: Coast Guard / NTB The Coast Guard ship that contributed to the search for wreckage parts is now on its way to Haakonsvern outside Bergen with parts they have found in the sea. It is chief of staff Gustav Landro in the West police district who tells this to TV 2. The coastguard is not entirely sure what kind of parts they have with them, but they take it ashore. Here the parts will be handed over to the police. According to VG, the police have questioned two of those who were on board the helicopter. – We have carried out two inquiries and are planning more tomorrow, says chief of staff Gustav Landro in the West police district to VG. Equinor is stopping all helicopter flights until Friday at 10 a.m. after the accident outside Bergen. Information director Sissel Rinde tells NTB. Energy Minister Terje Aasland (Ap) sends his thoughts to those affected after the helicopter accident outside Bergen. At the same time, he is asking for a thorough investigation of the accident. The police say they believe that the trip recorder, also called “the black box”, on the helicopter will be found, but that the job is challenging due to high waves and strong winds. The six people who was on board the helicopter was wearing a survival suit, say the police. The CEO of Equinor states that the deceased woman was a nurse at work to look after others. All helicopter flights to and from the heliport are canceled until 6 p.m. ConocoPhillips flights are canceled until further notice. There are also the flights for Aker BP. Vest police district states that it was a woman in her 60s, seen in Equinor, who died in the accident. The other five in the helicopter were employed in Bristow. The head of the Norwegian Aviation Accident Investigation Board says that they believe the wreck lies at a depth of 300 metres. Haukeland University Hospital informs X that one person is critically injured, one seriously injured and three lightly injured. The National Accident Investigation Board for Aviation starts work after the helicopter accident. The aim is to find the main part of the wreckage and then raise it from there. Photo: The rescue company The police say on Thursday morning that a search was carried out throughout the night for the helicopter that crashed. Photo: Coast Guard / NTB The police confirm that one person has died. Another is slightly injured, while the remaining four have varying degrees of damage. The police set up a reception for relatives. The lifeboat has started to find wreckage. They are looking for more parts. The rescue operation is over. Haukeland University Hospital has received six people. The condition is unclear. Photo: Kjell Jøran Hansen / news The Swedish Accident Investigation Agency is in the process of staffing up. The rescue helicopter Florø confirms the discovery of the last person. Five minutes later they confirm that they have a person on board and are traveling towards Haukeland. At the present time, it may look like 25 minutes have passed since the Sola helicopter left until the last person is on board the Sola rescue helicopter. The rescue helicopter, with the first five people who were picked up from the sea, lands at Haukeland University Hospital in Bergen. The police confirm that there has been an aviation accident in the sea west of Sotra in Vestland. The rescue helicopter Sola reports that they are on their way to Haukeland hospital with five people on board. The reason they have to go towards Haukeland is that they no longer have fuel to stay in the area. HRS knows that they already have rescue helicopter Florø on its way to the search area. There is also an air ambulance in the area that indicates the location of the last one. The rescue helicopter Sola reports that they cannot see the helicopter itself that has crashed. Øygarden municipality receives notification of the helicopter crash. They saw emergency staff. Persons are observed in the sea and hoisting starts. The persons must have a doctor in the sea for 45-50 minutes. The Sola rescue helicopter observes people in the sea and starts the process of hoisting them up. The police receive a report of a helicopter being flown west of Sotra. The main rescue center is informed that there are six people on board. The rescue helicopter Sola, which is already in the air for training, is sent in the direction of the area indicated by the emergency signal. HRS out alerts the rescue helicopter in Florø. They also ask Kystradio to send a mayday relay to vessels in the area. KV Sortland confirms that they set course for the area. It is agreed that a pilot helicopter from Flesland can go towards the area. The ambulance boat Austevolljenta is also asked to go towards the area. At 20.03 the rescue helicopter Sola reports that they are approximately 15 minutes from the position. HRS asks Kystradio to call out lifeboats from the Rescue Company. We are talking about Bjarne Kyrkjebø and Kristian Gerhard Jensen II. HRS can confirm that it is one of the rescue helicopters from Bristow, and that they have been out on a training trip. The main rescue center asks the air traffic controller in Avinor to check if they can make contact with the helicopter. Three minutes later they receive feedback that they cannot make contact over the radio. The helicopter hits the water and an emergency direction finder is activated. The main rescue center receives a message that an emergency beacon has been triggered and the rescue leaders on duty start to check more closely what kind of machine it is that is sending the signal and try to make contact. HRS is informed that a personal emergency beacon, of the type worn by helicopter crew in a rescue helicopter, has been triggered. The position of this is in the same area as the emergency bearing transmitter of the helicopter. Avinor, ACC and the tower on Flesland are contacted The helicopter probably loses radar contact, according to Aircraftregister.net. The helicopter is completing an exercise with a ship from Wilson Shipping on behalf of Equinor. The helicopter flies west. The helicopter takes off from Bergen airport, Flesland. Show more – Better then than now Oil worker Bjørge also worked offshore during the Turøy accident. He thinks the follow-up was much better then. – Pilots came in and talked to us. That made us safe, he says. Bjørge says he has spoken to several colleagues who say the same as him about the follow-up after the helicopter crash outside Sotra. – It should be better. Most people feel confident that the helicopter is safe. But there is uncertainty when we don’t know what has happened. Oil worker Espen Bjørge is not particularly happy that the Sikorsky S-92 helicopters have been put into operation again when we do not know what the cause of the crash is. Photo: Fredrik Lygre Have a pilot available for a call Petter Sem-Henriksen in Bristow Norway says Bristow tries to have a pilot available on the street before departure by helicopter. – We will do this over the next few days and will gradually assess the need, he says. He believes Bjørga’s experience is an isolated case. – This is and has been a demanding time for everyone who works in the oil industry. There are many different needs for follow-up and information. We do our best to ensure that everyone feels taken care of, he says. Raymond Midtgård, union leader in Safe, says the feedback from oil workers is that they have been well looked after. – Everyone has been offered an interview. Those who are going out and fly have received good follow-up, he says. Midtgard points out that there is a difference in how people react to such incidents. He says it is still important that everyone gets an offer of help. 06/3 at 11: After publication, news has added Petter Sem-Henriksen in Bristow’s characterization of Bjørga’s experience as a single case and the quote that Bristow is doing what they can for the employees in the oil industry.
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Disagree about whether oil workers are well taken care of after the Sikorsky S-92 helicopter accident – news Rogaland – Local news, TV and radio
