Brian Murphy of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers union appeared at the offshore helicopter safety inquiry Tuesday. (CBC)

A union leader representing oil workers says another offshore chopper crash will happen in Newfoundland and Labrador — and he's calling for changes to improve workers' chances of survival when it does.

"When the next one goes down, it is going to be full of us," Brian Murphy of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers (CEP) told the inquiry into offshore helicopter safety on Tuesday in St. John's.

"When this happens, it is going to be, 'Put it down wherever you can.' Given that, we want every possible impediment to survival removed."

He was speaking before the inquiry established after a Cougar Helicopters Ltd. chopper crashed into the ocean 55 kilometres east of St. John's on March 12, 2009. Seventeen people died.

Murphy, who is CEP vice-president for the Terra Nova offshore oil production platform, said an auxiliary fuel tank that is now placed in the cabin of the helicopters used by Cougar to transport offshore workers must be removed.

"Why are we flying with these auxiliary tanks inside?" said Murphy, an electrical technician on the Terra Nova oil production platform east of St. John's.

"We are not comfortable with it. If I'm upside-down in a chopper in the water and I'm struggling for my life, I don't want anything in my way."

Cougar Helicopter Ltd. uses Sikorsky S92-A choppers to transport oil industry workers offshore. (Cougar)

Last week a Cougar representative said the tanks are necessary for the company's Sikorsky helicopter to fly hundreds of kilometres offshore to oil industry platforms.

"When it comes to transportation, we are at the mercy of the oil operators, Cougar, Sikorsky and regulators such as the Transportation Safety Board," Murphy said.

He also said survival training for workers must be improved.

He called on the inquiry led by retired Supreme Court Judge Robert Wells to recommend that a fully dedicated, full-time search-and-rescue service be established in St. John's.

"We believe a Department of National Defence search-and-rescue crew like the ones based in Gander — [is] the best suited to do the job," said Murphy.

Right now Cougar is contracted to provide a search-and-rescue service but it must transform one of its transportation choppers into a search-and-rescue chopper before it can answer a call.

2nd union leader also opposes auxiliary tank

A second union leader also spoke at the inquiry.

Sheldon Peddle, president of CEP Local 2121, refused to fly on offshore helicopters because of his concern that the auxiliary tank would prevent passengers from escaping after a crash.

"In our survival training, the simulators that we learned to escape from didn't include an auxiliary tank," he said.

His concerns were investigated and it was decided by the Canada-Newfoundland Offshore Petroleum Board — the body that regulates Newfoundland and Labrador's offshore industry — that his concerns were not valid and the auxiliary tanks don't make the helicopters more dangerous.

He was advised to go back to work. He has but he said he disagrees with the CNLOPB's decision.

"It's not just my issue; there was a petition signed by more than 100 workers on this issue," said Peddle.

Family members of some of the people who died in the crash were also expected to speak at the inquiry Wednesday.