Income Protection for Offshore Workers

Offshore work pays well, and the pay is conditional on a certificate rather than on turning up.

You cannot travel offshore without a valid medical, and the standard reflects the fact that you will be a long way from a hospital on a structure that may need evacuating. Conditions that an onshore employer would accommodate without much thought can stop you going at all.

Income protection pays monthly while you cannot work. For offshore workers it needs to be sized against what the household actually costs, which is usually a bigger number than people expect.

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The short answer

Offshore work depends on holding a valid medical certificate, so a condition that would barely interrupt an onshore job can stop you going offshore entirely. The second feature is financial: offshore rates are high and households tend to be built around them, so the drop when the rotations stop is steeper than the raw salary suggests. Income protection replaces a monthly amount while you cannot work.

What actually stops you working

Failing or losing the offshore medical, which ends the work while you may feel entirely well
Cardiac conditions, which are treated strictly given the distance from medical help
Musculoskeletal injuries from heavy work in confined and moving environments
Hearing loss from sustained high noise, which is common and under-reported
Mental health conditions, which the rotation pattern and isolation can worsen
Any condition requiring regular treatment that cannot be managed on a structure

Sick pay, if you get any

Varies enormously with the contract, and many offshore workers are on arrangements with far less protection than the day rate implies. Agency and contractor arrangements may offer very little, while a staff position with an operator may be generous. The day rate is not the whole story and the contract is worth reading before you need it.

Why the definition of incapacity decides it

Offshore work is defined by a certificate as much as by a task, so losing the certificate is losing the occupation. Somebody who cannot pass the medical can usually work onshore, and an any occupation definition will say so, while paying nothing. For a worker whose income depends on being allowed to travel offshore, the definition has to be the one that asks about that specific ability.

The Certificate Is The Job

This is the single feature that makes offshore work different from onshore work at the same trade, and it catches people out.

You cannot go offshore without a valid medical certificate. The standard exists because help is hours away and because everybody on board may need to evacuate by helicopter or survival craft, which is why conditions that onshore employers would barely register can be disqualifying. A perfectly fit onshore electrician and an offshore electrician who has lost their certificate are in completely different financial positions, despite being equally capable of electrical work.

Income protection responds to being medically unable to do your occupation, which is exactly that situation, so it is the right cover for the risk. Raise it explicitly when you arrange the policy and make sure the occupation recorded is offshore work rather than just the trade, because that distinction is what the definition will be applied to.

Offshore Pay Builds Offshore Outgoings

The financial shape of an offshore household is different, and it makes the fall harder than the salary suggests.

High day rates tend to be matched by commitments that assume them: a larger mortgage, vehicles on finance, school fees, and support for family members. The income is also lumpy, arriving around rotations rather than smoothly, which encourages people to judge affordability by a good month. When the rotations stop, the outgoings are still built for the good months.

So the benefit needs sizing against the real monthly cost of the household rather than a notional replacement of salary, and it is worth being honest about the commitments that have grown alongside the income. Most insurers cap the benefit at a proportion of earnings, so the sooner the figures are looked at properly the better.

If you stop

Rotations are filled quickly, because a structure cannot run short, so a contractor who is off for a rotation or two is usually replaced rather than held. Getting back is about availability when you are certified again, and the better-paying contracts go to people who have been continuously available.

Common questions

Can offshore workers get income protection?+

Yes, though offshore work is rated differently from the same trade onshore and insurers vary considerably in how they handle it, particularly for rope access, diving and work in certain regions. That variation is the reason to use a broker rather than one provider. We cannot promise acceptance or tell you in advance where a given insurer will place offshore work, but we can put the same details to several of them.

What happens if I fail my offshore medical?+

You cannot travel offshore, which ends the income even though you may feel entirely well and could do the same trade onshore. Because income protection responds to being medically unable to do your own occupation, that is the scenario it is built for, provided the occupation recorded is offshore work rather than just the trade. Make sure that distinction is on the policy when you arrange it.

Do offshore workers get sick pay?+

It varies enormously with the contract and often by much more than people expect. A staff position with an operator may be generous; agency and contractor arrangements frequently offer very little, despite paying a high day rate. The day rate tells you nothing about the safety net, so read the contract before you need it and choose the deferred period from what would actually arrive.

How much cover should an offshore worker have?+

Size it against what the household actually costs each month rather than against a notional share of salary. Offshore income is high and lumpy, arriving around rotations, and commitments tend to grow to match the good months: bigger mortgage, finance, fees. When the rotations stop, those commitments do not. Most insurers cap benefit at a proportion of earnings, so it is worth looking at the figures properly and early.

Does my rotation pattern affect the policy?+

Insurers ask about it, along with your role, the type of installation and the regions you work in. None of it prevents cover and all of it should be described accurately. The rotation also matters practically rather than just for underwriting: structures cannot run short, so a contractor off for a rotation or two is generally replaced rather than held, which is worth factoring into how long you insure for.

Cover that often goes with this

The gaps we most often find sitting next to this one.