SRK Coleshaw - Oil & Gas UK

SRK Coleshaw 

June 2008 SRK Coleshaw

Risks of cold water immersion 

Initial 

0‐3 min 

‘Cold Cold 

shock’ shock 

Intermediate 

3 min to 1 hour 

Debilitating effects of cold 

Swimming failure 

Drowning 

June 2008 SRK Coleshaw 

Long‐term 

> 1 hour 

Hypothermia?

Personal protection 

Immersion 

�� Cover skin surface & 

keep wearer dry. dry 

�� Insulation – reduces 

heat loss from : 

�� body core; 

�� head; 

�� hands; 

�� limb muscles. 

suits Lifejackets 

�� Self‐righting Self righting 

performance . 

�� Stability once in the 

face‐up face up position. 

�� Support to the head. 

�� Airways protection 


“Good Good prospect” prospect 

Survival Time ≥ 

of survival 

1.5 * Rescue Time 


Immersion suits – 

SOLAS-approved 

Insulated suit: 

6 hr protection 

SOLAS-approved 

SOLAS approved 

Uninsulated suit: 

1 hr protection 

early 1990s 

June 2008 SRK Coleshaw 

CAA-Approved 

Helicopter suits

Lifejackets – 

SOLAS-approved; 

Inherently buoyant 

early 1990s 

CAA-approved 

aviation lifejackets 


Factors motivating improvement 

�� Accident outcomes; 

�� Research; 

�� New performance / technical standards; 

�� Changes in legislation; 

�� New technology and materials. 


Offshore accidents 

�� Piper Alpha (1988) 

�� Some bodies in suits and lifejackets were found face‐down face down 

in the water; 

�� “Lifejackets Lifejackets could get waterlogged and did not always keep 

the face out of the water”; water 

�� Too many orange objects in the water. water 

�� Recommendation that “work work should be carried out with the 

objective of combining the functions of a survival suit and a 

lifejacket in one garment. 

(Cullen, 1990, Piper Alpha Public Inquiry) 


Marine Accidents 

�� Estonia (1994) 

�� Lifejackets tied together, 

difficult to don, no lights. lights 

�� Sleipner (1999) : 

�� Lifejackets were difficult 

to don, many became 

loose in the water and 

some "slid towards the 

throat”. throat 

� Ouzo (2006) 

�� Inflatable lifejackets were 

poorly fitted; victims found 

floating with lifejackets 

around heads. 


Aviation accidents ‐ 

�� Brent Spa 

�� Pouch 

lifejackets 

Pouch‐type type lifejackets carried – “survivors survivors had to don and 

inflate the LSJ once they were in the water and this proved 

to be extremely difficult. 

�� Cormorant Alpha (1992) 

�� Lifejacket “tended tended to ride up body, even when it had been 

correctly fitted”; fitted 

�� Survivors experienced swamping by waves – none able to 

deploy the spray hood; hood 

�� One non‐survivor non survivor found face‐down, face down, with a tear in the 

buoyancy chamber. 


Aviation accidents ‐ 

�� Cormorant Alpha (1992) 

suits 

��“Inadequate Inadequate clothing worn under the suit may 

have contributed to the eventual onset of 

hypothermia”; 

hypothermia 

��Some Some suits took in significant amounts of water 

due to being partially unzipped. 

�� Den Helder (2006) 

��17 17 occupants rescued within 1 hr 15 min – just one 

passenger reported to have suffered mild 

hypothermia. 


Equipment failures 

�� Equipment difficult to don in an emergency; 

�� Lifejackets riding up body; 

�� Poor airways protection in waves; 

�� Insufficient insulation provided by suits, 

reduced insulation due to water leakage; 

�� Immersion suit and lifejacket incompatibility. 


Compatibility research 

�� In‐water In water performance of lifejacket and immersion suit 

combinations (1988) OTI 88 538 

�� Poor self‐righting; 

self righting; 

�� Poor airways protection; 

�� Need for integration. 

�� Further in‐water in water performance of lifejacket and 

immersion suit combinations (1991) OTI 91 550 

�� self‐righting self righting achieved with 50% of combinations; 

�� 8kg buoyancy behind the head increased airways protection. 


Compatibility research 

• Performance of immersion suit and lifejacket 

combinations at sea (1994) OTH 94 428 

�� The buoyancy of immersion suits 

makes a significant contribution to 

airways protection; 

�� Spray hoods are essential to achieve 

full airways protection; 

�� Little evidence that waves improved 

righting performance. 


Compatibility testing 

�� Compatibility test 

protocol for lifejackets 

and immersion suits 

(OTO 2002/021). 


Review of probable survival times for 

immersion in the North Sea (1996) OTO 95 038 

�� Estimated ‘good good prospect of survival’ survival for thin 

offshore worker; 

�� Looked at combined effects of water temperature 

and sea state; 

�� Concluded that, in winter conditions in North Sea, 

need insulated suits with no water leakage, plus, 

sufficient buoyancy to keep the mouth clear of the 

water. 


Effect of water leakage (1997) OTH 432 

�� Volume and position of water leakage were 

important. 

�� A 500ml leak to the torso produced a 30% reduction 

in clothing insulation. 

�� A 500ml leakage increased body cooling whereas a 

200ml leakage did not. 

�� Wet limbs far less critical than a wet torso. 

�� Recommended a test requirement for greater 

insulation over the torso than the limbs. 


European Regulations and Standards 

�� Jan 1993 – PPE (EC Directive) Regulations 1992 and 

PPE at Work Regulations came into force. 

�� 1993 ‐ Publication of European lifejacket standards: 

EN 393, 394, 395, 396, 399. 

�� Jun 1995 ‐ CE marking of all PPE became mandatory. 

�� 2003 ‐ Publication of international immersion suit 

standards: EN ISO 15027 Parts 1, 2 & 3. 

�� 2006/7 – Publication of international lifejacket 

standards: EN ISO 12402 Parts 1‐10. 1 10. 


IMO/SOLAS Regulations 

�� 1997 – LSA Code. 

�� 1998 – Resolution MSC.81(70) : Revised 

recommendation on testing of life‐saving life saving appliances. 

�� 2005 – revisions to above. Included introduction of 

reference vests for testing lifejackets. 


Aviation Regulations and Standards 

�� 1979 – CAA Spec.5: Inflatable lifejackets. 

�� 1991 – CAA Spec.19: Helicopter crew members 

immersion suits. 

�� 1992 – CAA compatibility requirements introduced. 

�� 2002 – Development of JTSO‐2C503 JTSO 2C503 and JTSO ‐2C504: 2C504: 

standards for ‘Helicopter Helicopter crew and passenger 

immersion suits’ suits and ‘Constant Constant wear lifejackets’. lifejackets 

�� 2003 – EASA operational. 

�� 2006 – ETSO 2C502/503/504 published. 


Effects of standardisation 

Positive Negative 

�� Set minimum health 

and safety standards. 

�� Design and 

performance levels 

improved to meet 

requirements. 

�� Tendency to design to 

meet, rather than 

exceed, the standard. 

�� Innovation suppressed 

if standards specify 

design rather than 

performance. 


Abandonment suits 


Current issues: 

abandonment suits 

�� Is sufficient insulation being provided? 

�� One‐size One size fits all policy; 

�� Leakage; 

�� Compatibility with lifejackets and other 

emergency response equipment; 

�� Integral gloves; 


Helicopter suits 


Current issues: 

helicopter suits 

�� Level of insulation provided – compromise 

between comfort in helicopter cabin and 

protection from cold water immersion. 

�� Comfort and integrity of seals ... 

.... cut‐down cut down seals will leak! 


Marine Lifejackets 


Current issues – 

marine lifejackets 

�� Need high buoyancy levels (275N) to ensure 

compatibility with immersion suits; 

�� Spray hoods essential to provide protection 

from wave splash – still not provided on all 

jackets; 

�� Crutch straps (or equivalent) essential to 

prevent lifejacket riding up body – often 

disliked and removed? 


Aviation lifejackets 


Integral systems? 


Best practise? 

�� Immersion suits providing sufficient thermal 

insulation ‐ thermal protection times of ≥ 3hrs? 

�� Lifejackets that provide: 

�� self righting and adequate head support; 

�� means to prevent riding‐up; riding up; 

�� airways protection (spray hoods). 

�� Location aids – lights, retroflective tape, PLBs? PLBs? 

�� Compatible equipment combinations. 


Conclusions 

�� Immersion suit and lifejacket performance has 

improved over the last 20 years; 

�� Some equipment for emergency abandonment 

still needs to be replaced; 

�� Best practise should be followed by all.

SRK Coleshaw - Oil & Gas UK

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