New Year, New Limits: Offshore weight rules to look out for in 2026

With Phase 2 of the UK’s offshore Safe Weight Limit policy now underway, our employment and health and safety teams highlight actions employers and duty holders should be considering and implementing ahead of the policy coming into force later this year.

Background

It is now widely known that Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) has introduced a “Safe Weight Limit” policy, which will come into force on 1 November 2026. It is estimated that the policy will affect around 5,000 offshore workers.

In short, the policy means that any offshore worker who exceeds the maximum clothed weight of 124kg will not be permitted to travel offshore. This is a significant shift with the potential to adversely impact the offshore workforce and duty holders (including operational disruption) if not managed proactively and effectively. 

The reasons for the shift are simple: safety. Escape and rescue systems must be effective for all offshore personnel; that includes the biggest workers on the toughest day in the most hazardous of situations. Duty holders offshore are required to provide safe, effective and tested means of evacuation and escape under the offshore safety regime, including the Offshore Installations (Prevention of Fire and Explosion and Emergency Response) Regulations 1995 (PFEER).

However, rescue equipment, including helicopter winch systems have absolute limits. The mandatory clothed weight being introduced reflects those limits. HM Coastguard have been explicit, they cannot guarantee safe evacuation offshore above 124kg, even where there may be a threat to life in a major accident hazard situation. In the knowledge that the average weight of the workforce was creeping up and potentially exceeding those limits, action was required to address the issue and has come at industry level, through OEUK and the Safe Weight Limit policy. 

Employers, however, should not be lulled into a false sense of security by the headline implementation date — the policy’s practical impact starts well before November 2026.

The first and most immediate impact arises from the transition phase (Phase 2 of the policy), which commenced on 1 February 2026 - earlier than many employers expected. As of 1 February:

1. Any offshore worker weighing over 124kg will not be issued with a medical certificate extending beyond October 2026; and
   
   
2. Any offshore worker weighing between 115kg and 124kg will be issued with a reduced-duration medical certificate.
   
   

The aim of Phase 2 is to reduce the number of workers impacted once the policy is fully implemented.

OEUK has been explicit that employers should be actively supporting workers with weight-loss efforts during the transition period, rather than waiting until the policy is formally implemented in November. The key question for offshore employers is no longer whether action is required, but whether they are ready for the transition phase now underway.

Looking ahead, November 2026 will arrive sooner than many expect, and the wider implications for employers should not be underestimated. Once the policy is fully in force, workers who exceed the safe weight limit may be unable to perform offshore roles at all, raising potential workforce planning, redeployment, capability, and employee relations issues, as well as legal risks around discrimination, health and safety, and dismissal. Early preparation will be critical to managing these risks lawfully and sensitively.

Offshore employers should be preparing now — and focusing immediately on the transition phase. The policy is here to stay, making early and meaningful engagement with employees during the transition period critical.

In addition to planning ahead for workers approaching the weight limit and encouraging early engagement with occupational health, employers and duty holders should ensure any workforce planning accounts for certification limits during the transition phase and beyond November 2026. Key workers or roles and planned projects could be affected making it prudent to plan for impact and not wait and see to ensure business continuity and resilience and continued compliance with health and safety duties.

OEUK has produced a helpful video for workers explaining why the weight limit has been introduced and how the policy and processes will operate in practice. This can be viewed here. OEUK also provides a range of online resources for employers to share with workers.

We are advising and supporting clients on the implications of the policy and proactive changes that could be considered now to best mitigate the risks. Our employment team and health & safety team are here to answer any of your queries. Please get in touch if we can help with your strategic HR planning in relation to the Safe Weight Limit policy or with any safety related queries. 

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