Page 12 - North American Clean Energy January/February 2019 Issue

wind power
When the Sky is Falling
The hazard of dropping objects in offshore wind
by Mike Rice
THE U.S. OFFSHORE WIND INDUSTRY
is spreading its wings.
Established businesses, predicting higher revenues for
2019, are taking advantage of the opportunities for o shore to scale up. O shore wind continues to be a vital and thriving industry, both globally and for the U.S. However, with this positive growth comes new safety risks, and a need for companies to take responsibility from day one.
U.S. companies engaging in o shore wind have the chance to set a benchmark for safety by rising to the challenge of preventing dropped object incidents. Avoiding serious injury to engineers, or potential loss of life, is vital. Rapid adoption of best practices, gleaned from o shore oil and gas, can help prevent costly damage to corporate reputation and nances. By learning from the decades of experience of established o shore operations, companies can set themselves apart, gaining a commercial advantage in an industry with a growing focus on improving standards.
European o shore wind experience has highlighted the scale of the threat to personnel and equipment due to dropped objects. Dropped and falling objects in o shore wind include materials carried by engineers, components lifted or carried from vessels, or smaller items tted to
the wind turbine generator (such as nuts and bolts, lights, ventilation louvres, or hatches).
ese objects can fall from height, with incidents occurring either on the wind turbines themselves, or on support vessels being used for turbine installation or maintenance tasks. Dropped object incidents can occur throughout the installation, maintenance, or decommissioning processes
– at the foundations, nacelle or blades, in the tower, or on installation and service vessels. ere is also potential for incidents during normal operations. For example, if a hidden
part of the machinery su ers severe corrosion over time, that deterioration would cause it to fall from the installation.
Dropped and falling objects, whether due
to poor construction, unsuitable operational processes, a lack of adherence to existing
safety guidelines, or environmental factors, pose a signi cant risk during the construction and operation of o shore wind farms. ere
are worrying signs that, despite a number of years of relatively incident-free o shore wind development and operations, the industry has not yet comprehensively addressed these major threats to the safety of its personnel.
In 2017, the Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR), as reported by G+ (Global O shore Wind Health & Safety Organisation), is 3.5 times greater compared to those from IMCA (International Marine Contractors Association).
From the outset, safety has been a key priority in the oil and gas sector. e reason for this
is clear: the combination of remote drilling platforms located in harsh conditions, and intense activity involving the use of much heavy machinery, creates an environment ripe for potential accidents. ese conditions are by no means unique to the oil and gas sector; a harsh o shore environment, the requirement to work at height, and the use of large installation vessels are everyday challenges for o shore wind farms.
e use of robust and cost-e ective secondary retention solutions like barriers and nets, as well as smaller-scale solutions such as pouches
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