BOSIET certification, explained
Basic Offshore Safety Induction and Emergency Training — the OPITO-approved entry qualification for offshore oil and gas workers. Covers helicopter underwater escape, sea survival, firefighting, first aid, and emergency breathing system use. Required before mobilisation on most offshore installations worldwide.
BOSIET sits at the entry point of every offshore worker's career. Without it, you cannot board the helicopter that takes you to the rig. With it, your offshore career is portable across every major operator and basin. This guide covers exactly what BOSIET is, what it tests, how to get it, how to keep it current, and how it compares to regional equivalents.
What BOSIET is — and why it exists
BOSIET is an OPITO standard. OPITO — the Offshore Petroleum Industry Training Organisation — is the international skills body for the offshore oil and gas industry. OPITO sets the standard; OPITO-approved training centres deliver the course; OPITO logs the certificate on a global database so any operator can verify a worker's status.
The course was designed after multiple decades of offshore safety incidents — including helicopter ditchings, platform fires, and rig evacuations — established that workers without practical survival training had significantly worse outcomes. BOSIET drills the four most common emergency scenarios offshore: helicopter ditching, fire, sea exposure, and casualty management.
Importantly, BOSIET is a practical certification. Workers are not just lectured — they are tested in a pool with a mock helicopter cabin that capsizes, in a smoke-filled compartment with breathing apparatus, and in CPR and casualty scenarios. The certificate is only issued on successful completion of every practical assessment.
What BOSIET covers (the 6 core modules)
Safety Induction
Offshore working environment overview, key hazards, role of the worker in the safety chain.
Helicopter Safety + HUET
Helicopter travel safety, ditching response, underwater escape drills using a Helicopter Underwater Escape Trainer (HUET) simulator.
Sea Survival
Use of life jackets, life rafts, survival techniques in water, group survival, cold-water shock response (BOSIET) or heat exposure (T-BOSIET).
Fire Fighting + Self-Rescue
Fire prevention, classification of fires, use of portable extinguishers, breathing apparatus, smoke-filled compartment escape drills.
Elementary First Aid
Primary survey, CPR, treatment of bleeding, burns, hypothermia, and casualty management at sea.
EBS / CA-EBS Use
Donning and using the Emergency Breathing System or Compressed Air Emergency Breathing System for escape from a submerged helicopter.
BOSIET variants — which one do you need?
BOSIET (standard)
For cold-water and temperate operations: UK North Sea, Norwegian Continental Shelf, Canada, North Atlantic. Includes cold-water exposure protocols and the standard immersion suit.
T-BOSIET (tropical)
For warm-water and tropical operations: West Africa, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, the Caribbean. Adapted sea-survival module covers heat stress, sun exposure, and hazardous marine life. Different survival suit configuration.
BOSIET with EBS vs CA-EBS
Older courses used Emergency Breathing System (EBS) re-breather hoods. OPITO migrated the standard to CA-EBS (Compressed Air Emergency Breathing System) following industry recommendations. Most modern BOSIET courses are CA-EBS. If your role requires CA-EBS specifically, confirm the course delivers that variant.
BOSIET Digital Delivery
OPITO has approved digital pre-course components — theory modules and quizzes completed online before attending the training centre. The practical assessments still happen in person. This shortens the on-site time but does not replace it.
Who needs BOSIET
Anyone — worker, contractor, visitor — who travels to a fixed or floating offshore installation by helicopter typically requires current BOSIET. This includes:
Short-stay visitors (e.g. inspectors, journalists, executives) sometimes complete a shorter visitor-induction in place of full BOSIET, but this depends on the operator and is not universally accepted.
Validity, FOET renewal, and what happens if it lapses
BOSIET is valid for four years from the date of successful completion.
To stay current, workers complete FOET (Further Offshore Emergency Training) — a one-day refresher that drills the same emergency response skills without repeating the full three-day course. FOET can be booked up to 90 days before BOSIET expiry without losing certification time.
FOET is significantly cheaper and faster than re-doing BOSIET. Most operators reimburse FOET as a routine compliance cost.
⚠ If BOSIET expires:
The FOET refresher is no longer a valid renewal path. The worker must complete the full three-day BOSIET course again — same time investment, same cost as initial certification. CertVault sends expiry alerts 60 days ahead so this is avoidable.
International recognition and regional equivalents
OPITO is the de facto global standard, but some regions maintain national or operator-specific equivalents. Always confirm with the operator before booking a course in a new basin.
UK North Sea
BOSIET with CA-EBS is standard. MIST and OGUK/OEUK medical also required.
Norway (NCS)
BOSIET accepted; some operators require NORSOK GSK (Grunnleggende Sikkerhets- og Beredskapskurs). NORSOK is the Norwegian national equivalent.
US Gulf of Mexico
BOSIET accepted by most operators; SAFEGulf or RigPass is the US-developed equivalent. Some operators require both.
West Africa
T-BOSIET preferred for tropical conditions. Operators (Total, Shell, Chevron, ExxonMobil) recognise OPITO standard.
Middle East
T-BOSIET widely accepted. Some operators (Saudi Aramco, ADNOC) maintain additional national induction requirements.
Asia-Pacific
BOSIET or T-BOSIET depending on operating waters. Australian offshore work follows OPITO standards plus local MARCSTA equivalents.
Brazil
Petrobras-led market accepts BOSIET; HUET and CBSP (Curso Básico de Sobrevivência no Mar) are local equivalents that are sometimes required in parallel.
Find an approved BOSIET training centre
BOSIET can only be issued by an OPITO-accredited training centre. OPITO does not deliver the training itself — it sets the standard, approves the centres, and runs the global certificate-verification register. The OPITO website is the canonical source for finding a current accredited centre, and accreditations are added, audited, and removed continuously.
Search by country, region, or specific OPITO standard (e.g. 5700 for BOSIET with EBS, 5800 for BOSIET with CA-EBS). Returns the official accredited-centre list with locations and contact details.
Major providers
A handful of training providers have been in the OPITO ecosystem for 15+ years and operate at multiple sites worldwide. These are well-established, stable choices — though always verify the specific course you need is delivered at the site you book.
- Falck Safety Services — Global; major centres in Aberdeen, Stavanger, Esbjerg, Houston, Singapore, Dubai.
- Petrofac Training Services — UK (Aberdeen), Middle East, Asia-Pacific.
- RGIT Aberdeen — UK; one of the original OPITO offshore safety centres.
- Maersk Training — Denmark, UK, Houston, Brazil, Singapore, Mumbai.
- FMTC Safety — Netherlands (Rotterdam), Norway.
- 3t Global (formerly OSTS/AIS) — UK, Middle East.
- RelyOn — Europe, Middle East, Singapore.
Training hubs by region
Aberdeen, UK
The global capital of offshore safety training; multiple major OPITO centres.
Stavanger, Norway
Primary Norwegian Continental Shelf training hub.
Houston, Texas
Primary Gulf of Mexico training hub.
Singapore
Asia-Pacific regional hub.
Dubai, UAE
Middle East regional hub.
Perth, Australia
Asia-Pacific / Australian offshore hub.
Lagos, Nigeria
West Africa hub.
Rotterdam, Netherlands
Northern Europe hub.
Provider list reflects established long-standing centres as of May 2026 and is not exhaustive. Many other accredited providers exist worldwide. Always verify current accreditation status via the official directory above before booking. CertVault is not affiliated with any listed provider.
Frequently asked questions
What is BOSIET certification?↓
How long does BOSIET last?↓
How much does BOSIET cost?↓
What is the difference between BOSIET and T-BOSIET?↓
Do I need a separate HUET certificate if I already have BOSIET?↓
Is BOSIET required worldwide for offshore work?↓
Can BOSIET training be done online?↓
What happens if my BOSIET expires?↓
Related certifications and resources
HUET — standalone
If you only need helicopter-escape competency without full offshore-survival training.
STCW Basic Safety Training
The maritime equivalent for crew on vessels rather than fixed installations.
Offshore Oil & Gas industry guide
Full cert reference for offshore — BOSIET, IWCF, OGUK Medical, MIST, HUET and more.
OPITO official site →
Issuing body. Course listings, training centres, standard versions.
Never let your BOSIET lapse again
CertVault stores your BOSIET (and every other offshore cert), tracks expiry, and alerts you 60 days before FOET renewal is due. Free forever for workers.
This guide is based on publicly available OPITO standards and training-provider documentation as of May 2026. Always verify current requirements with your operator or OPITO directly before booking.