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NewsBWEA endorses introduction of Wind Turbine Safety RulesIncreasing best practice and guidance for growing energy sectorTuesday 4 April
Developed jointly by owners and manufacturers, the WTSR have now been successfully trialled and are therefore endorsed by BWEA as representing industry best practice for operational wind farms, an endorsement which is echoed by the Health and Safety Executive: “The HSE prefers industry to be self regulating. The HSE has recognised that the wind energy industry has been proactive by investing a great deal of effort in producing the Wind Turbine Safety Rules. The HSE therefore
encourages all persons working in the wind energy industry to use these
rules wisely as part of their safe systems of work.” The need for change has been driven by representatives from E.ON UK, npower, Scottish Power, Renewable Energy Systems (RES), Vestas and Siemens. Faced with a huge growth in wind generation capacity, these companies have recognised the need for an auditable standard consistent across the UK. The introduction of WTSR provides a single way of managing operational safety, giving owners and wind turbine maintenance service providers a consistent and auditable process across their UK portfolios. It is a fine example of how key members of BWEA have been working together for the good of the industry and represents a world first in the field of operational safety in wind turbines: "npower renewables is delighted to be involved at the forefront of developing a common industry standard for improving best practice and consistency in Health and Safety throughout the wind industry. A common goal for both owners and manufacturers has been achieved in the development of the Wind Turbine Safety Rules." “From our experience to date, the Wind Turbine Safety Rules, when used as part of an overall work control system have provided the necessary robust controls for ensuring ‘safety from the system’ for wind turbines. Just as importantly, this is demonstrable through inspection and audit.” “E.ON UK is pleased to have been involved in leading the development of the Wind Turbine Safety Rules. Their introduction represents a major step forward to further secure higher standards of H&S within the UK wind industry. The WTSR will be implemented at all E.ON wind farms during 2006.” “RES is proud to be one of the founding members developing the new safety rules. They provide the next step forward in our quest to ensure ever safer wind farm operations.” The WTSR are currently being implemented in the UK by all the member companies listed above, and BWEA has established a group to review the implementation and recommend improvements based on operating experience, and it is intended that the WTSR will become mandatory. An implementation support package consisting of the WTSR, support and guidance documents is now available on the BWEA website to assist members to introduce WTSR in their companies, see www.bwea.com/safety/safety_rules.html.
Notes to Editors: BWEA is the UK’s largest renewable energy body with over 300 companies in membership. Formed in 1978, BWEA is leading the UK debate on the wind and marine renewables industry, acting as a central point of information for members, government and public alike. BWEA’s specialist team provides members with essential market information and in-depth technical support, In addition, BWEA lobbies on behalf of its members, conducts profile raising campaigns and organises business development opportunities throughout the year, including the industry’s main annual conference and exhibition. The Wind Turbine Safety Rules is one of four Health and Safety Initiatives that BWEA has been developing over the past 2 years. The BWEA Health and Safety Guidelines were revised and reissued in 2005 to incorporate best practice for offshore wind farms. An incident reporting database has been developed to collate industry wide safety information and share lessons learnt with members, and BWEA is also developing industry standards for various training courses. Standards for working at height and marine safety will be published later this year along with a BWEA safety passport scheme. Further standards for crane safety, safe project management and electrical safety are in development. A standard for training in the Wind Turbine Safety Rules is also under consideration. Other Best Practice available from BWEA includes:
All are freely available from www.bwea.com/ref/reports-and-studies.html BWEA – Championing the UK wind and marine renewables industry |
