FEATURE SPONSOR
WIND ENERGY HEALTHIER & SAFER
On Monday 28 October the St Jude Day Storm battered the southern part of the UK with gusts of up to 99mph. As well as causing four fatalities, killing 10 million trees and causing widespread disruption to travel, a 27m turbine collapsed in a field at Higher Rixdale Farm near Teignmouth in Devon.
In many cases the legislation imposes strict liability to achieve the standard of safety required. The renewables sector is no different from other sectors in this respect, but because the application of wind power to the generation of electrical power is a more recent development than say the burning of fossil fuels, the standard of safety required evolves as the sector matures.
Renewable Energy Team, with Jeremy Scott far right
LEGAL EAGLES
GUIDELINES A number of guidelines have been developed in consultation between the HSE and RenewablesUK. These guidelines when correctly and appropriately implemented will…
• Represent industry good practice for safeguarding employees from the inherent dangers that exist from installed electrical and mechanical equipment in wind turbines
• Assist in the development and application of safe systems of work in a consistent manner
Whilst no one was injured, incidents like this, which follows the collapse of a 30m Endurance E-3120 50kW turbine at East Ash Farm in Bradworthy, Devon on January 27 2013, serve as a stark reminder to anyone who designs, manufactures, supplies, installs, operates or maintains a wind turbine, as well as to planners, developers and landowners, that they have a duty to ensure that rigorous health and safety standards are being met.
RISK CONTROL AND LIABILITY Anyone who creates a health and safety risk has a duty to manage and control that risk. Duty holders are therefore obliged to ensure, in so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety not just of their workforces but also of anyone else who may be affected by their work activities.
INDUSTRY STANDARD
What then can be considered to be the required industry standard? Essential reading can be found on both the HSE and the RenewableUK websites. It is very fortunate that the UK wind industry benefits from an excellent working relationship between the HSE and RenewableUK, the leading trade and professional body in the UK.
The HSE, in recognising that the UK has the best wind resource in Europe, aims to develop a supportive regulatory framework for the sector and to promote sensible, proportionate management and control of hazards and risks, stating that it ‘… need not act as a brake on the rapid and widespread use of emerging energy technologies in the UK.’
• Provide a robust approach to demonstrating legal compliance with relevant health and safety regulations
RARE OCCURRENCE
Whilst turbine collapses will always capture the headlines, statistically they are rare. Ensuring that health and safety is at the centre of what you do will result in fewer incidents and a much greater degree of protection from prosecution in the event of an incident.
Further, it will help to show that the option of wind energy is healthier and safer than an over-reliance on coal, gas and nuclear power.
Jeremy Scott Langleys
www.windenergynetwork.co.uk
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