FEATURE A SAFE TRANSITION
David Head, Head of Safety Marketing at Draeger Safety UK, considers the safety elements within the renewable energy industry and how new technologies can help mitigate workplace risks.
The energy transition in the UK is gathering pace: 2022 saw a record volume of energy generated from renewable sources, with solar, wind, biomass and hydropower contributing 40% of all electricity produced. However, it is clear that this proportion of renewable energy supply will need to accelerate further if we are to achieve our National Net Zero targets and as a result of this, we are seeing that there is a clear – and in many areas of new energy, rapid – direction of travel.
While progress is being made in the utilisation of renewable energy, there is a pressing need for greater understanding of the risks, and risk amelioration of new energy sources and applications, not least to build public confidence in the new technology as a safe and dependable energy source for the future.
At present, there is a sense of an ongoing and widespread misalignment between the perception of renewable energy and environmental initiatives as ‘green, clean and therefore safe’, and the reality, which is that in fact, the risks are often not dissimilar to those seen in legacy industries such as oil and gas. The key difference being that such sectors are often seen as dirty and dangerous, with the consequence being that safety
30
is viewed as a crucial consideration, and is, as a result, mature and well-advanced in these industries.
So, while most people would agree that a move away from a carbon-based economy should be carried out as quickly as possible, this must not be at the expense of safety. Failure to consider adequately the safety elements within the renewables energy industry may well lead to setbacks which have the potential to harm the overall goal of reducing carbon emissions and protecting the planet for future generations.
As such it is important that the workplace risks are fully understood, both where they are similar to traditional energy sector and where they differ.
Firstly, let us consider the similarities. These include confined spaces, fire hazards and exposure to toxic gases; risks which continue to be present in the renewable energy sector, often in a similar way to the oil and gas sector, regardless of it being seen as a clean and therefore safe form of energy and which will be familiar to health and safety professionals.
Where new energy technologies differ from the traditional oil and gas sector largely centres around
www.tomorrowshs.com
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
