Wind Energy Update: Wind Energy Health and Safety Practices Evolve for 2012
With 48GW already installed capacity, 8GW currently under construction and expected O&M investment of $6 by 2025 in North America
London (PRWEB) July 20, 2012
The volume of assets and personnel directly involved in wind generation is trending upwards. An impact of this growth is the need to suitably protect these assets. The bottom line of health and safety (EHS or HSE) is safety of workers and asset integrity.
Focus areas for a wind industry EHS manager can be put into three categories: the design of the wind turbines (size and weight of the blades, integrated electrical systems etc.), the regulations needed in the construction phase and the ones needed during operations and maintenance.
Short term fixes are not desired. An owner/operator of a wind farm requires a long term, responsible attitude towards health and safety practices. Then these strategies need to be installed at every level of the company and continually monitored.
The Department of Labor´s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) are set to announce what regulations OSHA looks at in the field for equipment and worker safety as well as the steps they have already taken to collaborate with the wind industry for the long term benefit of all involved.
Teodora Todorova, VP of EHS at Wind Energy Update (WEU) summarized the critical touch points for EHS managers at the launch of WEU´s North American health and safety intelligence series, “Incident reduction remains the top priority for a wind farm owner. But interestingly, there is a notable shift towards root cause analysis of incidents which results in a tighter, more robust internal setup for hazard identification and mitigation”
With all advice on working in confined spaces or at height, heavy lift standards and electrical hazard reduction being welcomed by the industry, WEU are pleased to release the first part of their summer series of HSE good practice as delivered by leading turbine manufacturers, Utilities and EHS specialists.
Produced in conjunction with the Wind Health and Safety Summit in Dallas this October, this free presentation highlights Siemens knowledge and experience on how to effectively control common wind turbine hazards.
VP EHS | Wind Energy Update
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For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prweb2012/7/prweb9712827.htm