Trouble from on high – lifting and dropped object incidents
Objects dropped from wind turbines are significant risks and can cause serious injuries to personnel on vessels servicing them, so they need to be taken seriously
by Philip Woodcock*
AS the designated person ashore as defined by chapter 4 of the International Safety Management Code (ISM Code) for a company that operates windfarm service vessels (WFSVs), I spend much of my time investigating incidents and accidents that occur in the fleet. Over the past three years, I have become acutely aware of the risks posed by lifting operations and dropped objects to the crew on WFSVs – the crew are the ‘lowest in the food chain’ for anything that falls and therefore most at risk. The deckhand who assists the technicians transferring from the vessel to the boat landing is particularly vulnerable. They have to stand directly under personnel who are climbing. This year alone we have recorded incidents of a ratchet spanner with sockets and a radio falling. The latter bounced on the deck and into the deckhand. The radio incident took place only a matter of a few weeks after a safety flash had been sent to the fleet regarding the dropped ratchet spanner, when awareness by our own personnel should have been heightened. Dropped objects are a phenomenon
that affects not only the offshore wind industry but any industry where people or equipment work or are positioned at height. However, the offshore oil and gas industry has a lot of historical data on this kind of risk. To raise awareness, organisations such as the International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) have created lifting guidelines, IMCA M 187, and Safety Pocket Card # 4, which also addresses the issue. The Dropped Object Preventions Scheme (DROPS) was formed by the oil companies following research into a large number of incidents. If the subject is getting such attention from industry, how
www.owjonline
big is the problem, one may ask? Is there any data on whether this is a real risk? DROPS started gathering statistics in 2010 and, since then, has recorded 850 incidents, primarily from members in the North Sea area. IMCA, in their 2013 safety statistics, recorded a total of 474 lost-time injuries (LTIs), of which ‘struck by moving or falling objects’ was the largest category recorded. This particular category had 111 LTIs or 23 per cent of those reported. The 2013 IMCA statistics were based on 245 reporting companies with a total of 1,301 million man hours. This period saw four of the nine reported fatalities linked directly or indirectly to lifting operations. To bring added relevance to the
offshore wind industry, the G9 group of the nine largest operators of offshore windfarms has recently issued statistics and analysis of safety incidences for the first time. This excellent report covers data reported by its members in 2013 across 35 sites. The data shows 616 reported incidences of which there were zero fatalities and 66 LTIs. Of the 616 reported incidences, 165
were related to lifting operations, but at this time, it is not possible to determine which of these are linked to dropped objects. Fourteen per cent of the LTIs reported were also related to lifting operations. In their concluding remarks, the G9 has stated that they will pay more attention to dropped objects in their 2014 data-gathering exercise including getting information on weight and height. This should provide interesting reading. At a recent meeting of the IMCA renewables working group, it was also stated that dropped object awareness will get more attention. To give a practical demonstration of how great the risk is to someone
An object dropped from a boat landing or transition piece can cause serious injury – or worse
working on the deck of a WFSV of items dropped from a boat landing ladder or transition piece, a DROPS calculator is available at
www.dropsonline.org. For example, an average handheld radio weighs between 300g and 500g. If this fell from a height of 15m, that is, roughly the height of a wind turbine transition piece, the calculator indicates that it would result in a major injury, assuming that the victim is wearing a standard safety helmet. From the data supplied by G9, it is impossible to determine how many of the 165 lifting incidents related to dropped objects and whether they counted such workday issues as dropped radios, spanners or fall arrest devices. However, a conversation with any experienced WFSV crew member will reveal many anecdotal tales of objects dropped on deck, into the water or caught by a sharp-eyed deckhand. These are normally described in light- hearted fashion with little understanding of the actual risks involved had they been hit. From this and conversations with the technicians on board, it can be seen that the risks are not fully understood and need to be addressed by industry if serious accidents are to be avoided. OWJ
*Philip Woodcock is operations manager/ QHSE/marine manager at Workships Contractors in the Netherlands
Offshore Wind Journal I 3rd Quarter 2014 I 63
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70