8 C Wind Farm Operational Safety

Misconception - Wind turbines are unsafe. The blades can fly off, or the turbine could collapse.

Wind energy is statistically one of the safest energy technologies and enjoys an outstanding health & safety record. There is over 40 years of operating experience and more than 190,000 machines are installed around the world. At any point in time a wind turbine computes 200 types of data sets, readings on blade imbalance, anemometer readings and other factors and shuts down if an anomaly is detected. As for blades flying off and tower collapse, modern wind turbines & their components undergo certification from International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers (IEEE), International Energy Agency and International Standards Organization (ISO) to minimise the risk of this ever occurring.

Studies Odds of Death Due to Injury, United States, 2003 Key Findings:

o The odds of anyone being killed in a wind turbine related accident in the U.S. over his/her lifetime was 1 in 3,777,272. This compares to a 1 in 84 risk of dying in a motor vehicle accident, a 1 in 1,134 risk of drowning, and a 1 in 56,789 risk of dying from a hornet, wasp or bee sting.

A Summary of Fatal Accidents in Wind Energy by Paul Gipe details the worldwide accidents in wind energy. Source: Updated in 2012 from Wind Power: Renewable Energy for Home, Farm and Business (2004)

Key Findings Over the course of past 40 years there have been 59 fatal accidents in wind energy worldwide Falling from the tower is the single most apparent occupational hazard of working with wind energy. Most accidents are due to the same common sense fatal mistake, where people did not use any form of fall

protection

Image of fellow on top of wind turbine from other RAC advertising