Wind Energy
Capability & Experience
Risktec is an independent, specialist risk management consulting
and training company wholly owned by its employees. We assist
clients in major hazard industries and commercial and public sectors
to manage Health, Safety, Security and Environmental [HSSE] and
Business Risk.
Risktec has successfully transferred lessons learned in the traditional
high/major risk industries to the relatively new Wind Energy Industry including
how to manage risk in an appropriate, sensible and cost-effective manner,
ensuring proportionate approaches are adopted. Risktec is actively engaged
with the Wind Energy Industry and is fully committed to helping it play its part
in the fight against climate change in a manner which reduces risk to
acceptable levels thereby protecting people, the environment, assets,
reputation and financial/business stability.
Engineering Risk
Reduction
Planning

Management
Systems
Improvements

Risk reduction “enablers”
Improved Culture
& Behaviours

Project Lifecycle
Risk
We provide a range of services to the Wind Energy Industry. Case Studies of typical projects are presented below
and cross-referenced to show how our services cover the entire lifecycle of a project as well as the key risk reduction
“enablers”, as illustrated in the following diagram.
Design
Construction

Operation &
Maintenance

Decommissioning
Time



Click here to see our series of
articles on Risk Management
or go to our ‘Knowledge Bank’
at www.risktec.co.uk
www.windenergynetwork.co.uk
 Safety Assessment/Justification of Wind Turbines adjacent to Safety Significant Infrastructure
Risktec produced the Safety Justification [SJ] for a Wind Farm adjacent to two Top Tier COMAH [Control Of Major
Accident Hazards] Sites in Milford Haven, Wales. This SJ was independently peer reviewed and endorsed by the
Health and Safety Laboratories. The quality of this SJ and the accompanying positive peer review was seen as the
deciding factor in the wind farm developer being granted planning permission. This SJ presented the culmination of a
robust Safety Assurance Process [SAP] which was integrated with project development activities including a
probabilistic assessment of the threat of turbine blade “throw” to adjacent oil and gas storage tanks. This integrated
SAP ensured that the wind farm design/layout evolved such that the risk posed to the neighbouring sites did not
increase their existing risk profile to any significant extent, with this risk reduced As Low As Reasonably Practicable
[ALARP].
Risktec has since used this tried and tested methodology to assess the risk posed by wind turbines sited in close
proximity to other safety significant infrastructure including a Nuclear Power Station, a range of other Top Tier
COMAH Sites, various Chemical Processing Sites, Port Facilities and Motorways.
 “Responsible Siting Standard” for Small Wind Turbine Manufacturer
Risktec developed a “Responsible Siting Standard” [RSS] which could be used to determine whether a proposed
turbine location is appropriate and safe. There was concern that installers/developers were installing turbines in
unsuitable locations. The manufacturer had no control over turbine siting and, whilst they were not responsible for
each installation, they were worried about the effects of an incident on their reputation and the Industry in general.
To mitigate against this, Risktec developed a web application which provided the practical implementation of the RSS
for use by their installers/developers to determine/demonstrate that each proposed location was safe. By making this
part of their “conditions of sale”, the manufacturer would regain control over specific siting issues, ensuring that their
turbines were only erected on sites where it was demonstrated that the risk was acceptable.
www.risktec.co.uk
 Occupational Health & Safety Management System for Wind Farm Operator
Risktec supported a UK onshore wind farm developer/owner/operator in developing an Occupational Health and
Safety Management System [OHSMS] consistent with OHSAS 18001. An OHSMS provides a structured set of
procedures, policies and controls for managing occupational health and safety within overall business operations to
ensure that all reasonably practicable measures are taken to reduce the possibility of an accident, illness, injury or
fatality in the workplace and limit the effects were one to occur.
 Assessment to determine whether Access Lifts should be retro-fitted to UK Wind Farm
Using the "Safe Wind Turbine Tower Access; A Decision Making Framework" [which we helped develop for the BWEA
(now RenewableUK)], Risktec completed a detailed assessment to determine whether a major UK wind farm
owner/operator should retro-fit access lifts to one of their operational wind farms. This assessment comprised a
detailed engineering/design review of the proposed access lift design, a detailed risk assessment of both the existing
access arrangements and proposed lift system and a comprehensive "cost-benefit" analysis.
 Assessment of Compliance of Turbine Lift System with new Machinery Directive
The latest version of the European Union Machinery Directive presents far more onerous and prescriptive
requirements relevant to wind turbine lifts. These assessments considered the use of the access lift in normal and
credible fault/emergency scenarios and demonstrated that, whilst a number of specific shortfalls were present, a fully
compliant solution would actually compromise safety in the context of an overall Safe System Of Work [SSOW].
Risktec presented detailed justification for the current design/arrangements demonstrating that the lift system has
been designed and is operated such that risk is reduced to acceptable levels and ALARP.
 “Bowtie” Diagrams for Offshore Cable Installation Company
In support of a due diligence process for a deepwater cable installation company, Risktec produced a number of
“Bowtie” diagrams to illustrate how all engineering/business risks are controlled and identify any areas of weakness
that require remedial action. The “Bowtie” technique is
Prevention
Mitigation
an extremely powerful way of communicating how risk
Conseqis being managed within an operation, business etc. It
Threat
Hazard
uence
helps to ensure that risks are managed rather than just
analysed, partly by going beyond the usual risk
assessment ‘snapshot’ and highlighting links between
risk controls and management systems.
Top Event
Conseq-
 Wind Energy Industry Health and Safety
Threat
uence
Performance Measurement and Improvement
Risktec has developed a flexible and evolutionary
Conseqapproach for measuring and improving health and
Threat
uence
safety performance for RenewableUK. Risktec
undertook a very extensive review and consultation
Barriers
process, which resulted in strong support from
members for proposals which emphasised simplicity,
Safety-critical activities
practicability and security of information, while
demonstrably
promoting
health
and
safety
improvement and being specifically tailored to this
Industry sector. The developed process is based on the
Safety-critical equipment
collection and risk-based prioritisation of information
generated from actual incidents and health and safety management surveys. This information is used to enable
benchmarking, sharing of lessons learned, and the derivation of Key Safety Performance Indicators [KSPIs], as part of
a structured and systematic H&S improvement cycle. By focussing the solution on an evolutionary process rather than
a set of static KSPIs, the KSPIs evolve over time, directly reflecting the fast changing nature of the Industry. This
approach ensures that the KSPIs will always provide an appropriate ‘snap-shot’ of current health and safety
performance, remaining relevant and appropriate to the most important challenges at any given time, hence driving
safety improvement across the industry.
 Quantitative Risk Assessment – Boat Transfer to Offshore Wind Turbines
Risktec supported a client who conducts vessel crew changes to offshore wind turbines. A quantitative assessment of
the risk to personnel transferring to offshore wind turbines via workboat from a mother vessel was completed. An
assessment of the different transport stages was completed and Risktec compared the assessed risk against other
transport methods whilst benchmarking current accident/incident data against relevant industry data to generate a
detailed understanding of the relative risks of these activities.
UK Offices: Warrington, Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, London, Crawley, Bristol
Overseas Offices: Dubai, Muscat, Houston, Calgary
E-mail: enquiries@risktec.co.uk
Phone: +44(0)1355 340200
www.risktec.co.uk