Pathways / Gear requirements / Offshore
Offshore PPE rules for medics
Offshore, the PPE rules come from the workplace regulator, and the operator decides how they apply on its installation. Here is what the regulators themselves say.
Informational only. U.S. rules here are 33 CFR Part 142, which covers workplaces on the Outer Continental Shelf. UK rules here are HSE's general PPE guidance for Great Britain. Your operator's site rules and your contractor's kit list sit on top of both.
U.S. Outer Continental Shelf: who is responsible
- Part 142 sets workplace safety and health rules for people, work and equipment on the Outer Continental Shelf.“establishing requirements relating to personnel, workplace activities and conditions, and equipment on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS).” — 33 CFR 142.1 — Purpose (workplace safety and health on the Outer Continental Shelf), checked 2026-11-10.
- Owners, operators, contractors and subcontractors each have to keep the operations they control in compliance.“Persons responsible for actual operations, including owners, operators, contractors, and subcontractors, shall ensure that those operations subject to their control are conducted in compliance” — 33 CFR 142.4 — Duties of lessees, permittees, and persons responsible for actual operations, checked 2026-11-10.
U.S. Outer Continental Shelf: what you wear
- Head protection to ANSI Z89.1 where things can fall or you could contact electrical conductors.“Personnel in areas where there is a hazard of falling objects or of contact with electrical conductors shall wear a head protector meeting the specifications of ANSI Z89.1” — 33 CFR 142.30 — Head protection, checked 2026-11-10.
- Protective footwear to ANSI Z41 where a foot injury is reasonably likely.“Personnel working in areas or engaged in activities where there is a reasonable probability for foot injury to occur shall wear footwear meeting the specifications of ANSI Z41” — 33 CFR 142.33 — Foot protection, checked 2026-11-10.
- Eye and face protection to ANSI Z87.1 when doing or watching welding, grinding, machining, chipping, cutting or hazardous-material handling.“Personnel engaged in or observing welding, grinding, machining, chipping, handling hazardous materials, or acetylene burning or cutting shall wear the eye and face protector” — 33 CFR 142.27 — Eye and face protection, checked 2026-11-10.
- Clothing and gloves that protect against flying particles, molten metal, radiant energy, heavy dust or hazardous materials where those are present.“Personnel in areas where there are flying particles, molten metal, radiant energy, heavy dust, or hazardous materials shall wear clothing and gloves providing protection against the hazard involved.” — 33 CFR 142.36 — Protective clothing, checked 2026-11-10.
- A harness or safety belt on a lanyard wherever a fall of 10 feet or more is possible, except while moving between locations.“Except when moving from one location to another, personnel engaged in an activity where there is a hazard of falling 10 or more feet shall wear a safety belt or harness” — 33 CFR 142.42 — Safety belts and lifelines, checked 2026-11-10.
- A work vest or life preserver wherever a fall would likely put you in the water, unless you are tied off.“Personnel, when working in a location such that, in the event of a fall, they would likely fall into water, shall wear a work vest” — 33 CFR 142.45 — Personal flotation devices, checked 2026-11-10.
Great Britain: what the employer provides
- Where a risk assessment shows PPE is needed, the employer provides it free of charge.“Employers must protect workers from health and safety risks. This means they must provide PPE free of charge if a risk assessment shows it is needed.” — HSE — Using personal protective equipment (PPE) to control risks at work, checked 2026-11-10.
- The PPE regulations make the employer responsible for assessing, maintaining and storing PPE, giving instructions, and making sure it is used correctly.“The Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations place duties on employers to ensure that PPE is:” — HSE — Using personal protective equipment (PPE) to control risks at work, checked 2026-11-10.
- Since 2022 that duty covers limb (b) workers as well as employees.“PPER 1992 places a duty on every employer in Great Britain to ensure suitable PPE is provided to 'employees' who may be exposed to a risk to their health or safety while at work. PPER 2022 extended this duty to limb (b) workers.” — HSE — Extended scope of PPE law (PPE at Work (Amendment) Regulations 2022), checked 2026-11-10.
- It does not cover people who are genuinely self-employed.“these changes do not apply to those who are 'self-employed'.” — HSE — Extended scope of PPE law (PPE at Work (Amendment) Regulations 2022), checked 2026-11-10.
Helicopter travel
- OPITO's BOSIET with CA-EBS course trains the emergency skills for flying to and from installations, including escaping a ditched helicopter with a compressed-air emergency breathing system.“equip them with the basic emergency response knowledge and skills for travelling to and from offshore installations by helicopter.” — OPITO — BOSIET with CA-EBS standard (product code 5750), checked 2026-11-10.
Our advice
- Ask the contractor for the installation's kit list before your first trip. Site rules can go beyond the regulation.
- On the UK sector, if you are an employee or a limb (b) worker, the employer's duty to provide PPE free of charge is worth raising when a contractor expects you to buy items its risk assessment requires. If you are genuinely self-employed or work through your own company, that duty does not cover you, so settle who supplies kit in your contract.
We found no public OPITO or OEUK page that sets a personal PPE list for offshore workers; their public standards cover training and medical fitness. ANSI standard text is not reproduced here. We do not recommend products or link to shops.
Career routes this applies to
Sources for this page
- 33 CFR 142.1 — Purpose (workplace safety and health on the Outer Continental Shelf) U.S. Coast Guard (33 CFR Part 142) Checked November 10, 2026.
- 33 CFR 142.4 — Duties of lessees, permittees, and persons responsible for actual operations U.S. Coast Guard (33 CFR Part 142) Checked November 10, 2026.
- 33 CFR 142.30 — Head protection U.S. Coast Guard (33 CFR Part 142) Checked November 10, 2026.
- 33 CFR 142.33 — Foot protection U.S. Coast Guard (33 CFR Part 142) Checked November 10, 2026.
- 33 CFR 142.27 — Eye and face protection U.S. Coast Guard (33 CFR Part 142) Checked November 10, 2026.
- 33 CFR 142.36 — Protective clothing U.S. Coast Guard (33 CFR Part 142) Checked November 10, 2026.
- 33 CFR 142.42 — Safety belts and lifelines U.S. Coast Guard (33 CFR Part 142) Checked November 10, 2026.
- 33 CFR 142.45 — Personal flotation devices U.S. Coast Guard (33 CFR Part 142) Checked November 10, 2026.
- HSE — Using personal protective equipment (PPE) to control risks at work Health and Safety Executive (Great Britain) Checked November 10, 2026.
- HSE — Extended scope of PPE law (PPE at Work (Amendment) Regulations 2022) Health and Safety Executive (Great Britain) Checked November 10, 2026.
- OPITO — BOSIET with CA-EBS standard (product code 5750) OPITO Checked November 10, 2026.