Analysis carried out by researchers at the University of Strathclyde,
reveals troubling insights for the health and safety of technicians working in
offshore Wind Energy.
According to the paper “Offshore wind is a high-risk industry and current
injury rates are 3–4 times those of the oil & gas industry”. Direct
feedback from industry specialists echoes these findings, with one technician
expressing, "In my experience, the Wind industry is just taking on anybody
and filling roles with completely inexperienced guys, as long as they have
their GWO's they've got a start."
David Rowell, the author of the report available here, warns “Rapid growth
and the changing nature of the industry means the risk profile of the industry
is growing. Worker exposure to hazards is likely to grow due to more offshore
work taking place in the coming years” and “there is huge potential for
improvement".
Director of Rigg Access Martin Smith adds “Technician safety and welfare are at
the core of our business, and we’re beginning to receive feedback from offshore
wind technicians raising safety concerns. This response, combined with the
findings of the paper, reinforces our analysis that significant structural
deficiencies exist in Wind's labour market, leading to a lower quality
workforce, the knock-on effect of which is causing widespread safety issues. We
hope that David's future research will provide further insight into this
matter”.
Chartered Engineer and PhD student David is currently researching operational
safety in the UK offshore wind industry and is seeking technicians to
interview. If you have experienced any safety-related near misses while working
in offshore wind and are interested in contributing to a safer working
environment, book-in here with David for an anonymous interview today.
