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High seas have stranded dozens of offshore workers on oil production platforms hundreds of kilometres east of St. John's.
Helicopter flights that carry workers offshore have been suspended since Monday.
Stormy winter weather is partly to blame, but a Transportation Safety Board of Canada recommendation that was adopted by the oil industry last week has also contributed to the groundings.
On Feb. 9, the TSB released its report on the crash of Cougar Flight 491. Seventeen people died when a Cougar helicopter crashed into the ocean southeast of St. John's on March 12, 2009.
On Feb. 10, the oil industry announced it would follow at least one of the board's recommendations to cancel offshore chopper flights when ocean waves are too high for an emergency landing on water.
Oil companies operating in Newfoundland and Labrador's offshore area agreed to halt flights when waves are more than six metres high. When waves reach that height, the Sikorsky helicopters used by Cougar are unable to land safely on water and activate an emergency flotation system.
12-metre waves
Since Sunday, waves up to 12 metres high have been pounding offshore oil installations east of St. John's.
Environment Canada Meteorologist Herb Thoms said the rigs were in the path of a prolonged storm system.
"Really severe, with the really high winds, high waves … in the wintertime, we get freezing spray, which is a another really severe hazard," he said Friday.
At least 24 helicopter flights carrying workers have been cancelled since Monday.
"Well it's part of the job out here, and as long as we're getting safe transportation back and forth, it's more important than time off," said Kevin Kelly, a Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada leader aboard the Hibernia offshore oil platform.
"We realize that it's one of the hardships of working offshore."
Eighty workers were scheduled to leave the Hibernia platform this past week.
The high waves are expected to continue until at least Saturday.
The union said Friday that if the severe conditions persist, workers might have to leave the platforms by boat.
