| Written by Michal Wozniakowski-Zehenter
Safety within the Industry of Wind Farms: Importance
Wind farms are typically situated in the most remote areas, sometimes offshore, where workers are supposed to work in the worst conditions. Workers are called upon to perform tasks that frequently require complex mechanical systems to be done. This setting offers many hazards- from heights to huge and powerful turbines. A combination of all these factors would make safety training non-negotiable for working within the wind energy industry.
There are, in general, many potential hazards on wind farms: risks of falls from height, electrical issues, confined space problems, heavy lifting injuries, and even environmental ones concerning extreme weather. In such high-risk industries, protection for the workers becomes a priority; it is also important that the workers guarantee minimum downtime due to accidents and the reliability of the energy production. For this reason, safety training comprises one of the most important parts of any wind farm worker's preparation process. From basic first-aid training to quite specialized training in tower rescue and electrical safety, all prospective wind farm workers are required to get comprehensive education and hands-on training in various safety disciplines that would prime them for the peculiar challenges posed by the wind energy environment.
Safety Training Standards: Global Wind Organisation
Before discussing the finer points of safety training for workers in wind farms, it is paramount to touch on the role played by the Global Wind Organisation, commonly referred to as GWO. GWO is a nonprofit organization that manufacturers and owners of wind turbines established to develop an internationally recognized standard for safety training in the industry. This makes the GWO Basic Safety Training program one of, if not the most well-known, basic training courses a person could take in the wind energy industry.
The GWO BST is made up of several modules covering the main areas of safety in the wind farm environment: First Aid, Manual Handling, Fire Awareness, Working at Heights, and Sea Survival-orange for offshore wind farms. Completing these modules is mandatory before working at most wind farms, both onshore and offshore. GWO training aims to ensure that all employees in the wind industry have the same level of basic knowledge and skill in safety, irrespective of their location or employer.
First Aid Training: Lifesaving Skills for Remote Environments
First Aid is one of the essential elements of GWO Basic Safety Training. Workers in the wind farm industry often work far from hospitals or any other emergency medical services. Hence, it is of prime importance that every employee working on the wind farms is able to provide basic first aid in case of an accident.
First Aid training for the wind farm industry goes well beyond what one might expect to find in the average office environment. It involves training in evaluating an injury, delivering lifesaving medical treatment, and managing medical emergencies until professional medical help arrives. This shall include but is not limited to, training in CPR, treating fractures and head injuries, and dealing with severe bleeding.
First aid training for wind farm workers also includes precautions against injuries caused by falls from heights, electrical shock, and heavy machinery trauma. It is designed to give workers confidence and skills so they can immediately act in emergencies, thus saving lives and minimizing the severity of injuries.
Working at Height: A Crucial Aspect of Safety in Wind Farms
Probably one of the most critical components of safety training for workers associated with wind farms is learning how to safely work from heights. Wind turbines are structures that extend several hundreds of feet into the air. It is common for technicians and other personnel to climb up these structures to conduct routine maintenance and repairs, requiring specialized knowledge and equipment to prevent falls.
The GWO Working at Heights module trains personnel on using the fall protection system, harness, lanyard, and anchor points. They are trained to fit properly, inspect, and use such equipment to confidently work and safely operate at high altitudes. In addition, training in rescue procedures, apart from fall protection systems, is also provided to the workers. If a worker gets injured or some equipment fails and leaves a worker stranded at height, they should be able to self-rescue or assist in some form of team rescue.
Working at Heights, training also includes simulation exercises in ascending and descending wind turbines, thus giving workers an actual feel for the real situations they might face on the job. The experience of hands-on training is invaluable in conditioning workers psychologically and physically to work in an environment such as this. Safety is paramount in every step, with workers being taught to carry out a risk assessment and ensure all safety equipment is in good working order before the commencement of any work at height.
Manual Handling: How to Avoid Injury in a Physically Demanding Job
Another major domain of safety training in the wind farm industry is manual handling. Wind turbine parts are frequently heavy and unwieldy, and workers are often required to lift, carry, and manoeuvre these parts in various ways during installation, maintenance, and repair activities. Poor lifting practices may cause musculoskeletal injuries, which are the most common type of workplace injury in many industries, including wind energy.
The GWO Manual Handling module trains personnel in safe ways of lifting and moving heavy loads. Training also includes proper body mechanics, posture, and the proper technique for lifting, carrying, and placing to minimize the risk of an individual suffering an injury while handling heavy items. Workers are also trained in recognizing when heavy items should not be lifted manually but with mechanical aids like hoists and cranes.
Secondly, manual handling training encourages teamwork. Most tasks in wind farms involve more than one person lifting or moving a component safely. This can help avoid accidents involving miscommunication or improper lifting and moving techniques. Such training is important to maintain long-term worker health; repetitive strain injuries can be debilitating and lead to lost time on the job.
Fire Awareness: How to Handle Fires Within a High-Risk Environment
While fires are quite rare on wind farms, with the presence of electrical systems, mechanical components, lubricants and fuels that could be highly flammable, the possibility of fire and other incidents related to them still occurs. Fire awareness training becomes one of the critical portions of safety preparation for workers at wind farms.
GWO Fire Awareness training familiarizes the worker with the identification of fire hazards, prevention of fires, and proper response in case of a fire incident. Students are taught basic concepts about fire science: how fire originates, spreads, and is extinguished. They also learn classes of fires-e.g., electrical, chemical, and flammable liquids-and types of firefighting equipment available to combat them.
Fire awareness training also includes training workers on how to evacuate a working area safely when there is a fire. Since the wind turbines are enclosed, in case of any fire inside the turbine itself, employees need to learn appropriate ways to exit both safely and quickly. Such training will involve practising emergency evacuation drills, which will help the workers become familiar with ways of escaping in case of an emergency. Fire drills have become even more important in the case of offshore wind farms, where responding to an emergency is rather complex due to the isolated location.
Electrical Safety: The Management of Hazards with High-Voltage Systems
Wind turbines generate electricity, so it is essential for wind farm employees to get training on how to work around high-voltage systems safely. Electrical hazards are some of the most dangerous risks in this industry, as an electrical shock may cause serious injury or even death.
Basic discussions of electrical theory in the wind farm industry range from basic theories to advanced safety practices. Workers are taught to identify electrical hazards, to work safely around live electrical systems, and to conduct proper lockout/tagout procedures. Lockout/tagout is a high-priority safety procedure to ensure electrical systems are de-energized before maintenance or repair is performed. Thus, it would prevent any accidental contact with live wires or electrical components, one of the leading causes of fatal accidents.
In addition to the basics of electrical safety, workers receive training in mitigating the unique hazards created by wind turbines' electrical systems. For example, they are taught how to safely access the nacelle-an electrical room at the top of the turbine that houses the generator and other electrical components-work safely in it, connect and disconnect electrical systems safely, and utilize personal protective equipment to minimize their risk of receiving electrical shock.
Sea Survival: Unique Challenges of Offshore Wind Farms
Workers in offshore wind farms definitely need additional training in one more area: Sea survival. The offshore wind farm is usually located miles off the coastline in open water, and people working there should be prepared to deal with hazards peculiar to this environment.
GWO Sea Survival: The module prepares the worker to be prepared in an emergency in the water by falling overboard, stranded in the water, or having to evacuate a turbine due to fire or any other emergency. Also, it covers training in the use of personal flotation devices, life rafts, and survival suits. Workers are taught how to signal for help but also how to stay afloat and save energy if they happen to be in the water.
Other important elements of sea survival training involve learning how to make safe vessel and turbine transfers. Most often, workers working offshore wind travel to and from the wind farms by boat or helicopter, and transfers from a vessel in motion to a fixed turbine present some difficult circumstances, mainly when seas are rough. Workers learn how to transfer safely in these conditions using harnesses and other types of equipment to prevent falling into the water (read more about wind farm ships).
Participating in offshore wind farm operations involves significant physical and psychological demands. Training in sea survival can prepare the worker for these challenges. This type of training not only minimizes the risk of accidents but also facilitates appropriate responses in case of a crisis because it includes providing skills and knowledge in dealing with accidents or emergencies at sea.
Specialized Training for Wind Turbine Technicians
Many wind turbine technicians also undergo special safety training beyond the core GWO modules to address particular needs related to their work assignments. It is their responsibility to maintain and repair turbines, a task entailing complex mechanical and electrical work at heights.
Other aspects of specialized training that turbine technicians receive include mechanical safety. Turbines have many mechanical components, including gears, rotors, and blades, all of which can cause an injury if the technicians are not cautious. Technicians learn how to work safely around moving components, including how to lock the components in place during maintenance so that an unexpected movement does not hurt the technician. Another broad specialized field of training and work is blade repair. The blades of wind turbines are composite materials that are very vulnerable to different types of damaging factors, such as weather conditions, debris, wear and tear over time, and so on. Technicians are trained to inspect, repair, and maintain those blades, often under difficult conditions, such as strong winds or at great heights.
Technicians can also acquire higher-level electrical and mechanical training to enable them to provide service for newer or more complex models of turbines. A wind turbine is a device that converts much of the kinetic energy in the wind into electrical or mechanical energy. The findings show that continuous training and education are essential due to technological evolution to keep the labour force familiar with new and improved safety practices and technical methodologies of working.
Ongoing Training and Continuous Improvement
While the GWO Basic Safety Training and all other specialized modules are required to start working in the wind farm industry, the training does not stop once a worker joins the workforce. Continuous training and continuous improvement also go hand in hand with a very successful career in wind energy.
The wind farm industry is one of continuous development, new technologies, procedures, and enactment of regulations every now and then. The workers should undergo periodic refreshment courses and additional training in order to keep up with such developments and ensure safety at the highest levels. The GWO, for example, expects every worker to undergo a re-take of the basic safety training modules every two years since taking them.
Besides the standards set by GWO, many onshore wind farm companies offer their own internal safety training programs. These may incorporate other modules into the specific safety risks of a given site, which might include interacting with wildlife in remote locations, managing difficult terrain, or even managing the impact brought about by bad weather conditions such as hurricanes or extreme cold.
FAQ
What types of safety training are required before working on a wind farm?
Before starting a career in the wind farm industry, all workers are required to complete comprehensive safety training, typically based on the standards set by the Global Wind Organisation (GWO), to be able to respond to an offshore incident. The most common training program is the GWO Basic Safety Training (BST), which covers essential areas such as First Aid, Manual Handling, Fire Awareness, and Working at Heights. An additional Sea Survival module is required for those working in offshore wind farms to prepare for the unique hazards of working at sea. These courses provide workers with the knowledge and skills to handle common risks in the wind energy sector, including fall prevention, electrical safety, and emergency response procedures.
How is working at heights safety addressed in wind farm safety training?
Working at heights is a critical component of wind farm safety training, as wind turbines can reach hundreds of feet into the air. The GWO Working at Heights module teaches workers how to use fall protection systems, such as harnesses, lanyards, and anchor points, to prevent accidents. Additionally, workers are trained in rescue techniques, which involve learning how to safely descend from a turbine or assist in a rescue operation in case of an emergency. This hands-on training involves simulations where workers practice ascending and descending turbines, ensuring they are prepared for the challenges and risks of working at significant heights.
TAKEAWAY
Training in safety should be an integral part of the process for developments that concern any career in the wind farm industry, either when working at height, dealing with high-voltage systems, or whether such development takes place remotely or offshore. Basic Safety Training, delivered by the Global Wind Organisation and supplemented with specialized modules and continuous education, ensures the staff's competence and knowledge in carrying out their job safely and efficiently.
In addition to these more conventional forms of training, modern technologies relating to virtual reality and wearable safety devices also contribute to further enhancing wind farm industry safety. Because of the increased attention paid to safety training and continuous improvement, the wind power industry will continue to grow without being held back by the loss of life and degradation in quality.
Delve deeper into one of our core topics: Emergency Response Management
Source:
(1) https://www.globalwindsafety.org/trainingstandards/browse
(2) https://windexchange.energy.gov/offshore-workforce-safety-training
Author
Michal Wozniakowski-Zehenter, Marketing Manager
Michal Wozniakowski-Zehenter is an experienced marketing and project management professional. He spent most of his career on projects with a strong focus on digital marketing and event management. He is a very active voice representing offshore and mining industries through social media channels. Michal writes mainly about offshore oil and gas, renewable energy, mining and tunnelling. Compiling and sharing the knowledge within industries is one of his goals.
