Health & Safety
Wind Turbine Safety Rules
The RenewableUK (formerly known as BWEA) Wind Turbine Safety Rules (WTSR) have been developed by wind farm owners and operators for the purpose of formalising a safe system of work for operational wind turbines (onshore and offshore).
The WTSR have been operational since late 2005 and they have been used at over 100 wind farms in the UK and Ireland. There is wide-scale buy-in, including positive feedback from site technicians. In June 2009 they were revised to include minor improvements identified by operators based on experiences gained from their use.
Status of the WTSR
Renewable UK considers that the WTSR, when implemented correctly and appropriately 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;
- provide a robust approach to demonstrating legal compliance with relevant health and safety regulations.
In order to ensure that the WTSR are implemented correctly and appropriately and are suitable for any particular set of circumstances, RenewableUK strongly advise, prior to the implementation or revision of the WTSR into an organisation's own health and safety management systems (or if operated as a stand alone system) that the WTSR and all the supporting guidance are fully taken into account by a competent person. It is essential that the final structure, content and format of any rules applied which incorporate any part of the WTSR are overseen and signed off by a suitable professionally qualified competent person familiar not only with WTSR but also their practical application taking into account site and turbine specific arrangements and all other relevant circumstances.
Overview of the WTSR
A typical Wind Farm consists of two distinct systems:
- The High Voltage (HV) infrastructure (HV rules apply)
- The Wind Turbine, its plant with their associated (LV) infrastructure (WTSR apply)
The boundary between these two systems needs to be clearly defined - a typical example is shown below:
To carry out work on equipment in a wind turbine, the WTSR require Approved
Written Procedures (AWP's) to be put in place for each work package significant enough to warrant it. An AWP is a procedure which specifies how work on plant & apparatus below 1000V AC or 1500V DC, will be carried out safely - it is similar to a method statement and it includes checkpoint signatures as auditable proof that safety precautions were applied for the duration of the work. The WTSR's also give guidance on when AWP's are required and when they are not necessary.
Key WTSR Documents
Follow the links below to access documentation containing the WTSR and guidance on their implementation.
- To download a copy of the changes between Version 2 and Version 3 of the Wind Turbine Safety Rules (WTSR's) - [WTSR-001] Click here
- To download a copy of the Wind Turbine Safety Rules Version 3 (WTSR's) [WTSR-002] Click here
- To download a copy of the Guidance supporting the Wind Turbine Safety Rules (WTSR's) [WTSR-003] Click here
- To download a copy of a suggested Implementation Plan supporting the Wind Turbine Safety Rules (WTSR's) [WTSR-004] Click here
- To download a copy of the Support Procedures (P1 to P6) supporting the Wind Turbine Safety Rules (WTSR's) [WTSR-005] Click here
- To download a copy of a suggested Audit Plan supporting the Wind Turbine Safety Rules (WTSR's) [WTSR-006] Click here
- To download a copy of a Model Training Course to assist in training delivery of the Wind Turbine Safety Rules (WTSR's) [WTSR-007] Click here
- To download a copy of the NEW Support Procedure (P7) on Cross Boundary Safety precautions supporting the Wind Turbine Safety Rules (WTSR's) [WTSR-009] Click here
- To download a copy of changes between 2010 and 2011 versions of the Wind Turbine Safety Rules (WTSR's) [WTSR-010] Click here
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