Wind Energy

Denmark are frontrunners within Renewables – especially Wind, and the industry is without a doubt booming globally. Our office in Esbjerg is therefore uniquely placed and we support some of the world’s biggest Wind Energy companies.

With expertise from Real Safety, anti-slip solutions are implemented to enhance both safety and reduce weight. We ensure that slips, trips and falls on wind farms, both offshore and onshore, are minimised.

Scaling up renewable energy is key to the energy transition.

Through technology innovations and economies of scale, the global wind power market has nearly quadrupled in size over the past decade. (Ref.: BWEC Global Wind Report 2021). Wind power is both a sustainable, but also renewable energy source – and has a much smaller impact on the environment than burning fossil fuels.

Aiming for 61% of total electricity generation to come from renewables by 2030, the International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that renewable energy capacity will have to triple, and that most of this growth is to come from wind and solar PV – according to the latest GWEC Global wind report 2023.

According to the latest G+ 2023 Incident Data report, the industry is growing, maturing, and coming of age, with hours worked showing substantial growth, from 44.6 million hours in 2022 to a new high of 61.9 million hours in 2023, an increase of 39%.

While activity has ramped up, both the total recordable injury rate (TRIR) and lost time injury frequency (LTIF) have remained broadly steady, with only minor changes in 2023, with TRIR falling 3% from 2.83 in 2022 to 2.73 in 2023, and LTIF rising 3% from 1.03 in 2022 to 1.07 in 2023.

High potential incidents, those with the greatest likelihood of causing serious harm, have seen a substantial decline over 2023, falling to 11% of the total, from 2022’s 26%.

So, although the industry has maintained high standards and there have been improvements, there is still room for improvement – and a continued need to focus on safety is paramount.

Real Safety provides safety solutions to the wind industry, where we work to upgrade facilities and keep people safe in the sector. Get in touch if you have any questions – and check out our case study below.

CASE STUDY – Anholt offshore windfarm

Challenge:

The Anholt Offshore Wind Farm is one of the world’s largest offshore wind farms. It was completed in 2013

The client was looking for a long-lasting safety solution. Firstly, to ensure surfaces were upgraded visually, but also to improve slip safety. They wanted a solution that was both quick and also easy to install onto existing surfaces.

Problem:

Service and maintenance are important on wind farms. Typically, it’s in the nacelle but also hubs that most of the work takes place. A lot of technicians from different organisations do this work – often in very crammed conditions. Various types of steel material is also used on floors and walkways. Therefore, there was a particular focus from the client on improving the areas visually, but also from a non slip safety perspective. In nacelles, you often find traces of hydraulic oil. That, as well as a slight tilt of the surface, obviously leads to a very unsafe work environment on both steps and floors.

Read case here

Solution:

We work with the client to find the right solution. As a result, a combination of Real Safety’s anti-slip step covers with yellow nosing on the steps were installed in the nacelle. Anti-slip FRP plates were also installed within the hub covering the accumulator package on each blade bearing. Finally, we secured ladders rungs in the tower section with our anti-slip ladder covers. We mounted anti slip products onto existing surfaces – with a 10-year guarantee.

Result:

As always, we were focused on solving the clients’ issues and consequently developed an anti slip products solution that was completely customised to suit their needs. Furthermore, it has also reduced slip & trip accidents to zero! The client now has slip safe steps covering the stairs inside the nacelle. Moreover, their people are able to move around safely without the risk of slipping and falling.

Articles and industry information:

Explore our Solutions

Step Covers

Stairs are a high-risk area when it comes to slipping or falling. It is therefore extremely important to effectively secure this area. A cost-effective way to upgrade slippery stairs is to use Real Safety’s step covers. The safety covers will slip proof the area and prevent accidents from happening in the first place.

Ladder Rung Cover

Ladders are extremely important to secure. Many ladders are quite slippery, especially if the rungs are in contact with water, grease or other slippery organic materials. Falls from ladders can have an increased danger, depending on the height. A fall from several maters can be especially fatal.

Walkways

Using FRP Walkway Covers from Real Safety is a fast, easy and effective solution to avoid slip, trip and fall accidents in areas that become slippery when wet from water, oil or grease.