We have recently seen an alarming increase in the number of High Potential (HiPo) Near Miss reports related to poor preparation of helicopter landing areas. Most cases have involved loose items of equipment, in particular slack (unpressurised) fire hoses.
Loose items of equipment and slack (unpressurised) fire hoses will move around in an unpredictable manner when exposed to helicopter down-wash, seriously compromising safe helicopter operations by introducing a very high risk of impact with the helicopter.
Read moreClear non-compliance with the ICS Guide to Helicopter / Ship Operations and a failure to conduct a Tool-Box Talk are the principle causes, along with a failure to fully identify, appreciate and risk assess the associated hazards.
Fully implement ‘Pre-arrival Checks on the Ship’ as documented in ICS Guide to Helicopter/Ship Operations
In particular from Chapter 5.2.3.3: