Wind the new Oil. Cleaner but safer???

Member Joined: Feb 09, 2010

Wind the new Oil. Cleaner but safer???
I’ve just come off my first wind farm construction job and an eye opener is an understatement. In the time that the job has ran one diver died due to a crushed umbilical and the following catalogue of errors including bailout bottles not charged lead to his death. This is just speculation because no real details where realised and the subject was quashed and swept away by reps /O.M. I know for a fact that if this was oil / gas job then H.S.E. would crash down on the site and shut the job down until all aspects had been revised and polices reviewed. I know that this hasn’t happened as there still isn’t even a permit to work system on the field, which has up to five vessels at any one time working.

My own personal experience. We were in the water taking survey fixes pre product connection. The shadow of an umbilical slack blowing round the side of the leg. As we moved round sure enough there was a diver on the next leg of a three leg structure. An absolute recipe for disaster I think you can agree. There were also rumours of a death of an engineer on the platform / substation. Again speculation as no safety flashes and subject is off limits to the working man.
I myself have been offshore six years and always still grumble from time to time at the over kill of the safety element and paper work. But I must admit the first that it is nonexistent it’s a real eye opener.

Dose the H.S.E. have the same powers in this industry as oil and gas?

Is the H.S.E. aware of the issues and present problems?

Member Joined: Oct 08, 2005 Location: Inversnecky

TTL

As long as you were operating inside the UK sector, then yes, the HSE has exactly the same powers as in the oil industry.

If your esepecially concerned, you can call them direct and report any breaches you personally witnessed. This is supposed to be in complete confidence, but I've saw witchhunts for 'whistle blowers' in the oil industry before - it isn't pretty, and they usually find out who it was by some method or other.

Not worked in the wind sector myself, but not entirely surpsied their a bit cowboy when it comes to safety. They're charging around putting these things up as fast as possible before they loose the variuos subsidies which accounts for their only profit. reminds me a bit of the cable industry at the end of the ninties.