An offshore wind farm is a challenging workplace, points out commissioning manager Ian Hampton: “In the winter, when a turbine is not running, it’s like a fridge inside. Then during commissioning we have the hazards of any wind turbine – high voltages, high-pressure hydraulic systems, high temperatures, rotating equipment, all 60 metres up in the air – only this time we are 12 nautical miles out to sea.”
Everyone working offshore has training in first aid, Hampton says, plus courses in basic safety, rope rescue, sea survival and fire-fighting. A full-time marine co-ordinator keeps an eye on the position of all the vessels on the site, and Dover Coastguard receives a call every time a vessel sets out.
Both onshore and offshore, safety walks help to make sure that work proceeds safely inside the project’s modest compound on the harbour side and at the offshore site. “We vary the timing of the walks so that people don’t know when to expect them,” Hampton says. “We have had good feedback, and so far no serious safety issues.”
