GWO Sea Survival Update

An update to the Sea Survival Module within the GWO Basic Safety Standard (V16) was published 1st October 2022

The most significant changes include the addition of a GWO Working at Heights certificate to the prerequisites for Sea Survival Module instructors and participants, and the adjustment of two practical sea survival exercises. Thomas Grønlund, Training Project Manager at GWO, summarised the changes.

Revisions to our modules are always made with the learning experience and future safety of participants in mind, for example changing the prerequisites for this module. The reason for this alteration is two-fold. In part, because evacuation by double descend should be an assumed ability, so the module can focus on challenges such as manually inflating life vests at sea and releasing from the SRL in the water, but also due to the major off-shore work hazard relating to descending or entering workplaces by transition piece ladder using fall arrest lanyards or other safety lines.

We also made substantial changes to the module’s practical elements. The first exercise involves controlled water entry wearing full PPE, swimming techniques both personal and collective and entry into life rafts. The exercise no longer includes the practical ‘water entry from a height’ element. The second exercise prepares participants for evacuation into water by double descend and manual life vest inflation. These both mimic real-life hazards and aim to increase the fidelity of training.

Further updates include an expanded focus on transfer procedure, the addition of warm-up prior to practical exercises, addition of a learning objective to take responsibility of performing safe evacuation from a WTG transition piece, omission of donning HELO sling section and changes to the phrasing of “mitigating” hypothermia to minimise the risk of hypothermia.

The summary practical exercise is still mandatory, as the focus of the training now concentrates on obtaining the individual skills and abilities that are taught during the practical exercises in lesson six. The required equipment for training providers is updated to delete rigid life vests and add inflatable life vest with automatic and manual releases. In addition, a dynamic platform is added as an alternative to “boat” for a CTV simulator during the practical transfer training.

Training providers and certification bodies are encouraged to review the new versions. For a full list of changes, refer to the change log at the beginning of the (V16) BST Standard.

Global Wind Organisation thanks member representatives and subject matter experts for delivering this project on time using considerable time and resources for the benefit of our industry.

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