Trusts warned to check helipad safety after death

Jean Langan, 87, was blown over by the “downwash” of air from a helicopter at Derriford Hospital last year. She was walking through a car park at the hospital after an appointment when she fell and hit her head as an HM Coastguard helicopter landed on the hospital’s helipad. Another elderly woman broke her pelvis.

Now the Health and Safety Executive has written to trust chief executives reminding them of their duty to manage health and safety risks around helipads. These risks include downwash from helicopters, the moving parts of helicopters, and the design and location of helipads.

“In practice, operators of hospital helipads will satisfy the stated legal duty through robust management arrangements which ensure the helipad is suitably and safely designed, the associated risk to people on or around the helipad have been identified, the controls implemented, monitored and reviewed as necessary,” the letter from Kanwal Kanda, the principal inspector of health and safety in HSE’s transport sector said.

“This includes ensuring workers on the ground are trained and competent in relation to helipad health and safety, signs/alarms effectively warn of helicopter approach and downwash risks, and measures are in place to keep pedestrians away from the flight path.”

Trusts are being given the following guidance:

• Check whether “competent advice” was given on the safe design and operation of existing helipads.
• Where this advice was obtained, check whether it was implemented and whether current operational arrangements continue to meet the advice and any updated standards.
• Arrange for advice to be accessed and implemented if it was not obtained before
• Seek advice when new helipads are planned to ensure safe design and operations.

HSE and the Air Accidents Investigation Branch are continuing to investigate the fatal incident, and University Hospitals Plymouth Trust is also carrying out its own investigation, which is yet to be published. 

Many NHS hospitals have helipads allowing air ambulances to land. Although some of these are on the top of buildings, many are in the grounds of hospitals. In some cases, helicopters may land a short distance from the hospital and an ambulance will transfer the patient.

There are extensive standards to meet for landing areas, including different exclusion zones to allow for downwash for air ambulances – which tend to be fairly light – and other, heavier helicopters.