View Full Version : The uk wind industry is unsafe and should be shut down
Green_not_greed
01-Apr-17, 14:09
March 2017 has sadly seen two fatalities in the wind industry - both in Scotland. Both involved falls from height of several hundred feet, with both workers pronounced dead at the scene. HSE are involved and I believe that the time is right for HSE to shut down all construction and maintenance operations at height until they come up with a revised set of safe working instructions for the industry.
Looking back, there have been 13 wind industry associated fatalities in the past 10 years, including those in March 2017, and all from separate incidents. I believe that this is an appalling statistic and one which should be used to seriously challenge the safety standards of the industry. 4 of those fatalities involved falls from height.
Strangely enough the press have barely reported the recent fatalities - if it was the nuclear industry the press would be having a field day, and no doubt the Green Party would be leading the charge to close it down. The greens have been very quiet about recent events - most likely avoiding the issue completely. As we all know, Patrick "yes Nicola anything you want" Harvie has less of a backbone than the average lumbricus terrestris.
I say it's time to shut down the UK wind industry before someone else is killed.
The Horseman
01-Apr-17, 17:16
I have looked into studies of Industrial Accidents, and it is predominantly the workers failure to abide by the rules as set out, that causes the accidents. It got so bad in North America that extra Safety Officials were brought in to rectify the prob. Fines for the worker and the company.
An example which is not workplace related, but shows how a simple thing can cause loss of life....
In offshore Sailing, when one is exiting the Sailboat cabin, one is supposed to have a short lifeline which is attached to an area just inside the boat. When one exits the boat and before they undo that first lifeline they should attach another in the Cockpit of the boat, so that at all times they are secure.
Sometimes this is not done, and for a brief moment they are unsecured and that is when the Rogue Wave sends you flying around, and on occasion out of the boat.
Same with heights.....how many times do you see men working on roofs with no lifeline. Their are protocols for nearly every action at a few feet above the ground.....in the late 70's I was assisting on Tower Cranes.......men would be 'walking the boom', sometimes 200 feet long and the same height above the ground, unsecured. I saw it the other day at a construction site...Famous last words....Oh I don't need that. I won't fall!
Just my thoughts.
Bystander1
01-Apr-17, 18:41
When the culprit has fallen 300ft and is decidely deceased a severe fine will stop him from doing it again.
Surely if saving lives was our main concern then we should be shutting down industries which have far more fatalities like farming and fishing until they get a set of safe working practices for their industry?
Bystander1
01-Apr-17, 19:54
Thats the way to do it. No more farming or fishing, we will all be eating grass like the previous demented poster.
baileys Bhoy
01-Apr-17, 20:16
More than ten workers have died on Balfour sites in the last seven years eight of them involving plant movement so should we halt all construction then
March 2017 has sadly seen two fatalities in the wind industry - both in Scotland. Both involved falls from height of several hundred feet, with both workers pronounced dead at the scene. HSE are involved and I believe that the time is right for HSE to shut down all construction and maintenance operations at height until they come up with a revised set of safe working instructions for the industry.
Looking back, there have been 13 wind industry associated fatalities in the past 10 years, including those in March 2017, and all from separate incidents. I believe that this is an appalling statistic and one which should be used to seriously challenge the safety standards of the industry. 4 of those fatalities involved falls from height.
Strangely enough the press have barely reported the recent fatalities - if it was the nuclear industry the press would be having a field day, and no doubt the Green Party would be leading the charge to close it down. The greens have been very quiet about recent events - most likely avoiding the issue completely. As we all know, Patrick "yes Nicola anything you want" Harvie has less of a backbone than the average lumbricus terrestris.
I say it's time to shut down the UK wind industry before someone else is killed.
As Reported in the Daily Telegraph........construction worker has died and another man was injured in an accident on the new £1.4 billion Queensferry Crossing.
So does this mean the new Bridge over the Forth should Closed Down. I do not think so.
over 25,000 were killed during the construction of the Panama canal.We most definately should have it shut down, anyone willing to spearhead the campaign?
over 25,000 were killed during the construction of the Panama canal. We most definitely should have it shut down, anyone willing to spearhead the campaign?
I Know someone who would be suitable for this Position as he seems to want everything he does not like closed down.......Green_not_Greed.
Hannah Faulkner
03-Apr-17, 08:03
One cannot close/ blackout from any project that risk life for bringing ease to millions around. Yes we need to improve on safety standards and procedures, forcefully implement when ever required....
The Horseman
03-Apr-17, 15:08
One cannot close/ blackout from any project that risk life for bringing ease to millions around. Yes we need to improve on safety standards and procedures, forcefully implement when ever required....
You are correct......more inspections/inspectors, and when their is 'an accident' Management must be held responsible.
Management must be held responsible.
Yes, if it's their fault.
The Horseman
04-Apr-17, 00:26
Generally on a work site their are Supervisors/Foremen. Part of their responsibility is to ensure all safety codes are adhered to, on behalf of the Company. They are the eyes of the Company. I think that is a generally held principle?
Shop floor level workers who cause accidents can be held responsible.
The Horseman
04-Apr-17, 18:38
Shop floor level workers who cause accidents can be held responsible.
Seems the original poster was talking about people falling from heights....as I mentioned Safety Harnesses should/must be worn. A couple of weeks ago I was watching a Tower Crane being erected and no one was wearing a harness.
100 feet up and they were all 'boom walking' as usual. And then when someone falls there is a ' big to do' about it.
On a lighter side.......I sailed to the Azores from New York in a 34 ft sailboat and you can always tell a male sailor...he looks as if he has been wearing a bra'. Bare chested with white bits! Where the harness was!
Now that in 2016 wind energy generation in the UK has over-taken coal energy generation, our electricity has now a higher safety footprint because we are less reliant on coal mining which has a huge problem over safety.
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/jan/06/uk-wind-power-coal-green-groups-carbon-taxes
Now that in 2016 wind energy generation in the UK has over-taken coal energy generation, our electricity has now a higher safety footprint because we are less reliant on coal mining which has a huge problem over safety.
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/jan/06/uk-wind-power-coal-green-groups-carbon-taxes
now that in 2017 we're only interested in up-to-date reports :-)
Invisible
13-Apr-17, 13:38
The world is unsafe but you don't see keyboard warriors wanting to shut that down.
What a load of crap, lets do with out oil and gas, and while we're at it shut down the armed forces, and for god sake dont leave your house.! Make sure you have no power in the house either. Never read such crap for a good while.
The Horseman
24-Apr-17, 00:28
It has been proven that wind and solar is 'much' more expensive than coal and oil.
We have experienced it in North America.
When a battery is at 0 degrees it loses 60% of its capacity. At 20 below it loses 65% of it's power.....and they will only last for approx 7 years...max.
It has been proven that wind and solar is 'much' more expensive than coal and oil.
We have experienced it in North America.
When a battery is at 0 degrees it loses 60% of its capacity. At 20 below it loses 65% of it's power.....and they will only last for approx 7 years...max.
Batteries aren't used to store energy.
The Horseman
24-Apr-17, 17:59
Tesla is using batteries.....and are building more Mega Factories....as is Panasonic.
Documentary on an Island in Hawaii....show the batteries...massive...Cud be OK there, as there is no cold weather but elsewhere? .s
Just read that more 'Wind farms' are coming to your neck of the woods.....
And I should clarify my comments about batteries.....Mostly they are used for solar, not windfarms.
I read quite a bit and the general consensus is that more subsidies will be need for 'alternative' power than for coal/oil etc. Nuke is still frowned upon due to the problems that have occurred. It is said that a New Nuke system is being tested....one that will not melt down... who knows?!
Just my opinion Rheg......
Tesla is using batteries.....and are building more Mega Factories....as is Panasonic.
Documentary on an Island in Hawaii....show the batteries...massive...Cud be OK there, as there is no cold weather but elsewhere? .s
Just read that more 'Wind farms' are coming to your neck of the woods.....
And I should clarify my comments about batteries.....Mostly they are used for solar, not windfarms.
I read quite a bit and the general consensus is that more subsidies will be need for 'alternative' power than for coal/oil etc. Nuke is still frowned upon due to the problems that have occurred. It is said that a New Nuke system is being tested....one that will not melt down... who knows?!
Just my opinion Rheg......
I believe Tesla have a domestic battery but not aware of a national grid battery.
The Horseman
27-Apr-17, 21:55
I see the Wind Power 'pot' is being sweetened.....
In reported road traffic accidents for the year ending March 2016:
there were 1,780 road deaths, unchanged from the year ending March 2015
24,610 people were killed or seriously injured
there were 187,050 casualties of all severities
Surely we should ban cars ?
Green_not_greed
02-Jun-17, 13:56
https://www.healthandsafetyatwork.com/work-at-height/two-fatal-falls-wind-turbines-trigger-unite-call-safety-review
Absolutely correct when they say that:
"These installations are usually in remote locations and there is a concern that these tragedies have not received the same focus if here had occurred in more populous areas."
cptdodger
02-Jun-17, 14:48
And exactly the same can be said about Dounreay, in fact that is why it was built here, because it did not matter if Caithness and half of Sutherland were blown off the map. Now how many people protested against that being built ?
And exactly the same can be said about Dounreay, in fact that is why it was built here, because it did not matter if Caithness and half of Sutherland were blown off the map. Now how many people protested against that being built ?
If your facts are to stand up surely they should also include the cradle to grave assessment , risk and deaths .Deaths from pollution, plant construction,material extraction and processing , energy consumed, transportation and lots more would see the total raise .
cptdodger
02-Jun-17, 17:12
If your facts are to stand up
Not my facts, Dounreay was built in a remote location in case of an explosion.
http://www.secretscotland.org.uk/index.php/Secrets/DounreayAirfield?from=Secrets.HMSVulcan
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dounreay
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2006/sep/12/comment.politics
http://www.internet-promotions.co.uk/archives/dounreay/doun3.htm
From the last link - "Dounreay was chosen chiefly because of the assumed risk that, in the event of a catastrophic control system failure leading to core meltdown, a release of radioactivity to the environment was a likely consequence. This would result in the necessary evacuation of people living in the vicinity of the reactor, possibly within a radius of a few miles. The population density around Dounreay was very low, lower than that of West Cumbria. If it hadn't been, the fast reactor would have certainly gone to Windscale. To its credit, the UKAEA has never made any secret of its prime reason for coming to Caithness."
So, if you wish to carry out a cradle to grave assessment, feel free. I don't feel the need to.
Green_not_greed
05-Jun-17, 12:56
Not my facts, Dounreay was built in a remote location in case of an explosion.
Quite right - it was in case the reactor could not be controlled once it started.
That's one of the reasons that DFR is a sphere and there is what looks like a leg sticking out the back of it on the seaward side. When it was operational there were explosive charges in the leg to blow it away in case or emergency.... so DFR could roll into the sea and cool down ;)
The Horseman
07-Jun-17, 01:35
If people wear that which is designed to safeguard them, there would be few 'accidents'.....people are lazy. Management comes to life only when they get large fines for not supervising their workers. Then they ensurs that in the case of heights....safety harness.
Are the really large companies better at safety do you think? I commonly see workers from the small firms (on roofs, for example and without a safety line) doing stuff that looks inherently un-safe to me.
Green_not_greed
07-Jun-17, 10:27
Are the really large companies better at safety do you think? I commonly see workers from the small firms (on roofs, for example and without a safety line) doing stuff that looks inherently un-safe to me.
I certainly believe so, yes. Its about safety culture, which the big companies tend to promote and enforce, smaller companies generally don't do this.
The Horseman
07-Jun-17, 14:28
I certainly believe so, yes. Its about safety culture, which the big companies tend to promote and enforce, smaller companies generally don't do this.
Yes, same with us....in North America. Here the fines can be rather substantial for harness, lack of work boot, hard hats etc.
The Horseman
07-Jun-17, 14:31
You may be correct about the windfarms. Seems like they are being built everywhere and they say the more that is built the cheaper the price to the consumer....
Gosh I may have to 'eat' my Words...s
In reported road traffic accidents for the year ending March 2016:
there were 1,780 road deaths, unchanged from the year ending March 2015
24,610 people were killed or seriously injured
there were 187,050 casualties of all severities
Surely we should ban cars ?
Just ban their batteries, so they won't start.
The Horseman
27-Jul-17, 04:29
Another one bites the Dust. Wonder will they be saved by Gov't money?
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