Abstract
BackgroundTransportation events are the most common cause of offshore fatalities in the oil and gas industry, of which helicopter accidents comprise the majority. Little is known about injury distributions in civilian helicopter crashes, and knowledge of injury distributions could focus research and recommendations for enhanced injury prevention and post-crash survival. This study describes the distribution of injuries among fatalities in Gulf of Mexico oil and gas industry-related helicopter accidents, provides a detailed injury classification to identify potential areas of enhanced safety design, and describes relevant safety features for mitigation of common injuries.MethodsDecedents of accidents during 2004–2014 were identified, and autopsy reports were requested from responsible jurisdictions. Documented injuries were coded using the Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS), and frequency and proportion of injuries by AIS body region and severity were calculated. Injuries were categorized into detailed body regions to target areas for prevention.ResultsA total of 35 autopsies were coded, with 568 injuries documented. Of these, 23.4% were lower extremity, 22.0% were thorax, 13.6% were upper extremity, and 13.4% were face injuries. Minor injuries were most prevalent in the face, neck, upper and lower extremities, and abdomen. Serious or worse injuries were most prevalent in the thorax (53.6%), spine (50.0%), head (41.7%), and external/other regions (75.0%). The most frequent injuries by detailed body regions were thoracic organ (23.0%), thoracic skeletal (13.3%), abdominal organ (9.6%), and leg injuries (7.4%). Drowning occurred in 13 (37.1%) of victims, and drowning victims had a higher proportion of moderate brain injuries (7.8%) and lower number of documented injuries (3.8) compared with non-drowning victims (2.9 and 9.4%, respectively).ConclusionsKnowledge of injury distributions focuses and prioritizes the need for additional safety features not routinely used in helicopters. The most frequent injuries occurred in the thorax and lower extremity regions. Future research requires improved and expanded data, including collection of detailed data to allow characterization of both injury mechanism and distribution. Improved safety systems including airbags and helmets should be implemented and evaluated for their impact on injuries and fatalities.
Highlights
Transportation events are the most common cause of offshore fatalities in the oil and gas industry, of which helicopter accidents comprise the majority
Most offshore fatalities were caused by transportation events, and 75% of the transportation events were related to helicopter accidents, resulting in 49 fatalities (Gunter et al 2013)
An accident is defined by 49 CFR Part 830 as “an occurrence associated with the operation of an aircraft which takes place between the time any person boards the aircraft with the intention of flight and all such persons have disembarked, and in which any person suffers death or serious injury, or in which the aircraft receives substantial damage” (Notification and reporting of aircraft accidents or incidents, 49 C.F.R. § 830 2019)
Summary
Transportation events are the most common cause of offshore fatalities in the oil and gas industry, of which helicopter accidents comprise the majority. A total of 178 helicopter crashes occurred in oil and gas operations in the Gulf of Mexico during 1983– 2009, resulting in 139 fatalities (Baker et al 2011). Similar to increases in helicopter accidents seen in the oil and gas industry, an increase in the number of medical helicopter accidents was seen during 1993–2002, resulting in 72 fatalities and 64 injuries (Bledsoe and Smith 2004). These results indicate that more research is needed to prevent fatalities and injuries from helicopter crashes in these industries, and implementation and evaluation of interventions such as more comprehensive restraints and helmets should be considered
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