OEUK Guidelines update 2025

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The newest version of the OEUK Medical Fitness For Offshore Work

guidelines are known as Version 8 November 2025. Here is a summary of the main changes that come into effect from 1st November 2025

Standard certificates replace previous Unrestricted certificates.

Conditional certificates replace previous Restricted and Location specific certificates.

Offshore occupations may be classified by employer risk assessment as being in one of two categories, either:

Category 1 – occupations, job roles and/or job function in which sudden or rapid- onset incapacitation (e.g. from impairment of consciousness, motor function, or other symptom) may adversely affect the safety of, or result in serious injury to/death of, either the worker in that occupation, or other persons. Examples of such occupations are likely to include (but are not limited to) crane operators, rope access personnel, scaffolders and drill crew.

Category 2 - all other occupations

see the Obesity and Maximum weight page.

Those on weight loss injections will need a letter to confirm, they are stable on their dose. They will need to have the relevant letter or emails from the prescriber to show the dose of medication and that they are side effect free

Minimum Mobility Test (6 minute walk test) is introduced 

• Optician report required - using a template letter provided by us
• Minimum 6/6 binocular acuity (with correction if needed)
• Visual field defects not acceptable
• Monocular vision not acceptable 
• Double vision not acceptable

• in date IRATA must be shown
• Additional questions and assessment of fine motor skills 

• no longer a standard requirement 
• Health surveillance is separate to the OEUK medical  
• Hearing can be assessed from understanding of normal conversation 
• Can still be done to assess severity of suspected hearing loss 

Those dependent on them for normal conversation will require operator medical approval 

Spirometry is now an additional requirement 

FEV1 of 80% and FEV1/FVC of 70% of predicted 

Safety risk assessment grading 

Certificates last upto 2 years (was previously one year)

• Insulin treated category 1 occupations - not fit for work on normally unmanned installations 
• Insulin treated category 2 occupations with good control - 1 year standard certificate 
• Type 2 Diabetes on oral hypoglycaemics except metformin (eg, Gliclazide, Dapagliflozin) in Category 1 jobs - conditional certificate after operator medical advisor approval 

Various conditions are not suitable for work on these installations. See the following page.