Safety on the Horizon: Mapping Human Factors in Offshore Wind

Global wind energy is experiencing an unprecedented period of expansion. Such requirements present challenges concerning maintaining safety standards and training at scale with industry data indicating a range of hazards during operations and maintenance activities. Wind technicians work in small teams to conduct critical operations and maintenance tasks on wind turbines often in remote, hazardous environments. Industry evidence suggests behavioral issues significantly contribute to these incidents, yet the limited human factors (HF) research in offshore wind typically focuses on design and physiology. Three online stakeholder workshops identified the principal HF impacting offshore wind technicians during operations and maintenance activities. It resulted in a preliminary framework of 16 HF, and 16 sub-factors, for offshore wind technicians encompassing individual, crew/team, organizational factors, and task and environmental factors. This can be used to direct effective interventions that support worker safety, health and performance in the expanding wind industry and wider renewable energy sector.