Sharing knowhow in offshore wind construction
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Can LEGO help to reduce the cost of energy?

By Michael Lau, Senior Operational Safety Manager, A2SEA

It’s commonly said that the only difference between men and boys is the size of their toys. So it may seem completely backwards to have a room of fully grown offshore wind people playing with tiny LEGO block models to help coordinate the installation of some of the biggest ‘toys’ in the world: offshore wind turbines. Strange, perhaps, but it’s clearly an innovative approach that, in its own small way, can contribute to lowering the levelised cost of energy (LCoE).

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Everyone likes a winner: Congratulations to SSE

By Mette Jørvad
Director, Head of Communication & Marketing

Everyone likes to win. This year, it wasn’t quite our turn, although we did come a close second to the winners of Renewable UK’s Health & Safety Award 2017, the British energy company SSE, which is headquartered in Scotland. But instead of just blowing our own trumpet about being the still proud runner-up (we did make the announcement on our company website), we’d like to applaud the efforts of our offshore wind colleagues.

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Work wise, think twice: Keeping our bodies safe

By Kirsten Bank Christensen, Vice President, HSEQ at A2SEA A/S

Musculoskeletal injuries are an ever-present hazard in the offshore wind installation business. They’re defined as injuries that affect the human body’s movement or musculoskeletal system (muscles, tendons, ligaments, nerves, discs, blood vessels and so on). And, while many have an obvious and immediate cause, such as a back injury caused by lifting a heavy object on an awkward angle, others may be ‘occupational illnesses’ – damages that creep up on a worker over many years. In any case, this is a serious issue that can have permanent and devastating consequences at both professional and personal levels.

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ENSURING SUPPLIER SAFETY VIA BEST PRACTICES (PART 2)

By Kirsten Bank Christensen, Vice President, HSEQ, A2SEA

Mobilisation projects are a valuable opportunity for cooperatively improving site safety together with many suppliers. This is the second of two posts describing how A2SEA’s ZERO HARM Mobilisation can lift supplier safety performance, and focusing on induction, HAZID/HAZOP workshops as well as results and learnings.

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Ensuring Supplier Safety via Best Practices – Part 1

Ensuring supplier safety via best practise

By Kirsten Bank Christensen, Vice President, HSEQ, A2SEA

Mobilisation projects are a valuable opportunity for cooperatively improving site safety with many suppliers. A2SEA’s ZERO HARM Mobilisation initiative benefits more than 30 suppliers annually. It calls for projects to achieve zero Lost Time Injuries with Life Changing Effects, despite many challenges. Continue reading →

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Lifting health and safety in offshore wind

 

By Kirsten Bank Christensen
Vice President, Group HSEQ, A2SEA A/S

STARTING POINTS

The offshore wind industry is growing and maturing at an impressive pace. With this pace comes considerable opportunity to improve on health and safety. But exactly what does it take to put safe working systems into play? And how can we build up experience, resources and training to establish safety as more than just an operational safeguard? Continue reading →

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Where’s the fire?

By Arve Sandve, Business Development Manager/Principal Consultant, Lloyd’s Register Consulting, Norway

Lloyd’s Register Consulting has developed a CFD simulation tool to help protect personnel against the risk of fire in the nacelle by determining the likely dispersion of heat or gases.

Fire and gas incidents on a wind turbine are recognised as major hazards to the safety of personnel and assets – particularly if the rotors should catch fire, too. That said, there’s no need to panic: even with the number of moving parts and the sheer amount of electricity generated in an offshore turbine, the risk of a fire is very low indeed. But wherever there’s a risk, there’s a job to be done from a safety perspective. Continue reading →