EWEA HS Guidelines
EWEA HS Guidelines
EWEA HS Guidelines
Disclaimer
The contents of these guidelines are intended for information and general guidance only, do not constitute
advice, are not exhaustive and do not indicate specific course of action. Detailed professional advice should be
obtained before taking or refraining from action in relation to any of the contents of this guide, or the relevance
or applicability of the information herein.
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Glossary
Term Definition
Employer All employers, contractors, sub-contractors and (marine) equipment suppliers working at an on- or
offshore wind farm.
Manned structure The lead EPCI (Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Installation) contractor guarantees all
risks under the contract. They will manage individual guarantees and warranties provided by other
contractors or equipment providers.
First responder A person who is trained to do medical work, especially emergency first aid, but is not a fully quali-
fied doctor.
Site Location where wind energy activities take place, regardless of if it is in the design, construction,
operational or deconstruction phase.
Unmanned structure An (offshore) installation on which persons are not normally present and in those instances when
persons are present on the installation, their presence is for the purpose of performing operational
duties, maintenance, or inspections that will not necessitate an overnight stay.
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Content
Glossary...........................................................................................................................................3
Introduction.....................................................................................................................................5
1 Emergency arrangements..........................................................................................................6
1.1 Design........................................................................................................................................... 6
1.2 Documentation & organisation......................................................................................................... 7
1.2.1 Organisation......................................................................................................................... 7
1.2.2 Escape and evacuation manual.............................................................................................. 7
1.2.3 Emergency response plan...................................................................................................... 7
1.2.3.1 Offshore....8
1.3 Training.......................................................................................................................................... 9
1.3.1 Offshore............................................................................................................................... 9
1.4 Provisions...................................................................................................................................... 9
3 Summary.................................................................................................................................. 13
4 Sources..................................................................................................................................... 14
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INTRODUCTION
These guidelines were produced by EWEA with the According to article 8, paragraph 1, of the European
help of the EWEA Heath and Safety (HSE) Task Force. Union Council Directive on the introduction of meas-
They are intended to be used as general guidance ures to encourage improvements in the safety and
providing basic high level information on Emergency health of workers at work (89/391/EEC):
Arrangements for operations at onshore and offshore The employer shall take the necessary measures
wind farms. The guidelines are not to be perceived as for first aid, fire-fighting and evacuation of workers,
a technical document. adapted to the nature of the activities and the size
of the undertaking and/or establishment and taking
The intended audience for these guidelines are into account the other persons present;
the employers in the wind industry in the European The employer shall arrange any necessary con-
Union and members of EWEA. These guidelines on tacts with external services, particularly as regards
Emergency Arrangements and first aid aim primarily first aid, emergency medical care, rescue work and
to provide directions for implementing EU Directive fire-fighting.
89/391/EEC, article 8, paragraph 1, through adopting It should be noted that EU Directive 89/391/EEC
industry best practices throughout the European wind has been transposed into the national health and
power industry. Relevant marine and offshore regula- safety legislation of individual EU Member States as a
tions should be taken into account when planning for minimum requirement, but individual Member States
emergency arrangements at offshore locations. may adopt more detailed health and safety legislation
and/or have additional requirements. Following these
Following industry specific best practices will ultimate- guidelines does not relieve employers of their duty to
ly reduce the cost of wind energy, by having aligned ensure compliance with local legislation. Additionally,
procedures and joint acceptance. This will provide a employers might need to take stricter measures de-
safer work environment and a better climate for inter- pending on company policy and the findings of the risk
national companies to conduct their business within assessment.
the European wind industry.
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EMERGENCY ARRANGEMENTS
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Directive 2006/42/EC of the European Parliament and the Council on Machinery
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Chapter 1: Emergency arrangements
1.2.2 Escape and Evacuation An Emergency Response Plan (ERP) covering all the
Manual activities at the workplace needs to be in place prior
to the start of the activities. Interfaces with all parties
For all locations in a wind farm (wind turbines, high working at the same site and between activities that
voltage stations, meteorological masts, etc.), a manu- are being carried out at the same time shall be cov-
al shall be written containing all information regarding ered. One Emergency Response Plan will be created
escape routes, provisions for evacuation and rescue and maintained for the entire site. In case of multiple
for all persons on site including personnel, visitors parties working at a site with each party having its own
and casualties, first aid provisions, emergency stop ERP, a site emergency response plan bringing together
systems, fire detection, fire fighting systems, etc. the individual ERPs of the different contractors will be
specific to that location/installation and based on the created as a bridging document for the entire site.
findings of the risk assessment.
When deciding on the emergency response organisa-
A general manual is provided by the turbine manufac- tion, required numbers of trained persons and required
turer with each turbine supplied. This turbine manual level of (basic) emergency response training, consid-
identifies the turbine risks and contains information eration shall be given to the location and accessibility
on escape and evacuation which should be incorpo- of the site and its installations (turbines, high voltage
rated in the Escape and Evacuation Manual of the stations, etc.). Wind farms are often located in remote
wind farm. locations with poor accessibility, increasing the time
needed for the professional emergency services to
The Escape and Evacuation Manual may include but respond to an emergency. In addition, special training
is not limited to: is often required for safely accessing certain locations
Working the wind safely: guidelines on emergency arrangements including first aid
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of the installation (such as the turbines or hubs) which Major impact damage e.g. vessel and turbine
emergency service personnel do not always have. collision;
When this is the case, these circumstances will de- Bomb threat or sabotage.
mand a higher level of trained (first aid) personnel and
professional equipment present to ensure preserva- Emergency drills must be performed. These drills
tion of life and proper medical care until responsibility need to be evaluated to ensure correct and effective
can be handed over to the emergency services. emergency control. The ERP needs to be reviewed on a
regular basis and/or after major accidents and/or near
The Emergency Response Plan should be based on misses, and/or after any changes (e.g. in personnel,
the risk assessment, and should be project, turbine equipment etc.) and updated when necessary. Drills,
and site specific, as each workplace is unique. Differ- lessons learned and changes in the nature of work will
ent scenarios might occur that will require immediate have to be taken into account in these updates.
response from trained personnel and possibly external
services. All procedures and roles should be clearly As a final step in the emergency communication, a
defined for each possible scenario. Any third party or contact point for communication with the press and
external involvement should be communicated and other stakeholders during emergency situations is
agreed to in advance. advised.
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Chapter 1: Emergency arrangements
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FIRST AID
2.1 Risk assessment conditions (e.g. storms and strong winds resulting in
high waves) should be taken into account when carry-
ing out the first aid risk assessment. Additional train-
Employers are obliged to carry out first aid risk as- ing for individuals may be required, depending on the
sessments to provide guidance in the requirements specificities of each project, its size and its location.
for first aid personnel and provisions at the workplace. The different phases of the wind farm should also
Employers are legally required for first aid, fire-fighting be considered, as each phase may demand different
and the evacuation of workers, to designate the work- arrangements. For example during the construction
ers required in implementing such measures, to keep phase, there is usually sufficient first aid provision
a record of the required number of first aiders and to due to the number of vessels and personnel on site.
ensure the required first aid provisions are in place. During the operational phase, there are usually fewer
During the first aid risk assessment the employer vessels so personnel are more self-reliant when it
needs to consider the hazards and risks that may oc- comes to emergencies and first aid.
cur in the workplace and provide actions to mitigate
those risks. Time is another important factor that should be con-
sidered (time needed to reach shore, time needed for
At minimum, the first aid risk assessment needs to medical help to arrive, etc.). Additionally, cooperation
take into account: and coordination between personnel (internal) and
The size of the organisation (e.g. number of persons between personnel and third parties (external) should
on site simultaneously); be considered. It must be ensured that injured people
The location of the site; are attended to by trained personnel and provided with
medical care at all times and throughout every stage
The response time for emergency services to that
site; of the emergency, from first aid up to the arrival of
professional help.
The type of work carried out at the workplace;
Vulnerable groups (e.g. young workers, pregnant
women, visitors, people with special needs etc.)
Hazards and risks at the workplace;
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Chapter 2: First aid
2.2 First aiders first aid materials needs to be in place. This mainte-
nance document shall include, but not be limited to:
an overview of the present first aid materials, the per-
All employers need to provide a sufficient numbers of son in charge of the maintenance, and a maintenance
first aiders. Dedicated first aiders need to be easily plan.
identifiable / recognisable during work hours.
Material and provisions required are based on the find-
During low risk activities there need to be enough ings of the first aid risk assessment. In addition, the
first aiders to cover the criteria mentioned in 2.1. The following should be considered:
outcome of the first aid risk assessment may indicate Defibrillators;
that the risks are high within the organisation. The Basic first aid kit (national requirements vary as to
employer needs to maintain an accurate and actual what should be contained in first aid kits, normally
list of all first aid contacts on the site. Factors that depending upon the type of risks faced and the size
need to be considered when identifying the necessary of the population that it covers);
number of trained personnel and the required levels First aid travel kit;
of training are: Area suitable for treatment;
Identified hazards and risks; Extended first aid equipment suitable to facilitate a
Location of site; rescue;
Expected response time of professional emergency Additional provisions such as survival kits (taking
services; into account environmental conditions).
Holiday coverage;
Wounded first aiders/emergency responders (in
2.3.1 Offshore
case of workers with additional FA/ER role).
2.3 Provisions and dangers they may face carrying out their work.
Additionally, the employer must ensure that the First
Aiders are sufficiently trained by recognised training
Workplaces must have first aid provisions in clearly institutes and will hold valid and recognised certifi-
identifiable and accessible boxes. First aid materials cates before the work commences. The training must
should be checked and maintained regularly (e.g. be suitable to provide necessary first aid after an
checked for deterioration of equipment, expiry dates, accident/incident at the workplace. It is considered
completeness etc.). A maintenance document for the good practice to provide the personnel with industry
Working the wind safely: guidelines on emergency arrangements including first aid
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specific training if available. Employers with person-
nel that work in different countries should take into
account that certificates accepted by the authorities
of one country are not always accepted by the authori-
ties in another country. When deploying (temporary)
personnel to another country, employers are advised
to consult with local authorities regarding the accept-
ability of training certificates.
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Training in working with an external defibrillator is recommended.
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Chapter 3: Summary
SUMMARY
In all management systems, it is important to meas- these guidelines are summarised in the flow chart
ure the performance of all procedures, review and below. The chart provides a simple framework for the
audit all parts of the system, updating and amending employers. In practice, individual projects in different
accordingly with the aim of constant improvement. countries may have different communication lines.
Emergency
arrangements
Documentation Audit
and organisation
Emergency
Inspection and / evacuation Inspection and
Training
maintanance Drills maintanance
Measure
performance
Review
Audit
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Chapter 3:
Chapter 4: Summary
Sources
SOURCES
Check applicable regulations in each EU member New Zealand Wind Energy Association
state. National regulations may include additional Nordex
details and requirements. Nordic Dive Enterprise
Norwea
Members of the EWEA HSE Task Force: NOW Ireland (National Offshore Wind Association of
A2SEA Ireland)
ABB A/S NWEA (Netherlands Wind Energy Association)
Acciona Offshore Marine Management
Allianz Specialised Investments ReinosoConsultors Investment
Asociacin Empresarial Elica (AEE) Renewable Energy Systems Group
Ballast Nedam Offshore Energy RenewableUK
BreakBulk & Offshore Wind Terminal REpower systems
BTI Light Systems RES
Bundesverband WindEnergie (BWE) Romax Technology
BZEE Consult GmbH RWE Innogy
Chris Westra Consulting Seahealth Denmark
C-Power Siemens Wind Power
Det Norske Veritas (DNV) Sperian
Detam High Solutions SSE Renewables (Airtricity)
Deutsche WindGuard Offshore Statoil
DONG Energy Stiftung Offshore Windenergy
E.ON Swedish Wind Energy Association
ECN (Energy Research Centre) Syndicat des Energies Renouvelables
Ecofys Total Wind B.V.
EDF Energies Nouvelles Tractel Group - Tractel Benelux
EnBW Erneuerbare Energien GmbH VDMA Power Systems
ENERCON Vestas
Evelop International Visser & Smit Marine Contracting (VSMC)
Falck Nutec - Maritime & Offshore WAB (Windenergie-Agentur Bremerhaven/Bremen)
FEE - France Energie Eolienne Windhoist
Firetrace International WPD-Offshore France
France Energie Eolienne (FEE)
Gamesa
GE Energy
Germanischer Lloyd Industrial Services
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