Spring/Summer 2017

1. G+ Associate membership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

2. Safe by Design. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

3. Good practice guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

4. DONG Energy: Keeping safety on everybody's agenda. . . . 3

5. 2016 Health & Safety Statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

6. Blyth Offshore Demonstrator. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

7. Case studies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

8. Dropped objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

9. Ladder climbing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

10. G+ Annual Stakeholder Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

11. New member to the G+ team. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

12. 2017 Energy Barometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

13. Contact us . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Contents

G+ Global Offshore Wind Health & Safety Organisation G+ Newsletter

G+ Newsletter Spring/Summer 2017

Since the first edition of this newsletter, the G+ has published the report from the Safe by Design (SbD) workshop on WTG service lifts. This report draws upon outputs from the workshop held in September 2016, which explored a number of key topics associated with offshore WTG service lifts. Following a fatal incident that occurred in Germany when a service lift failed on an onshore wind turbine, the G+, as the leadership organisation for the offshore industry, convened this SbD workshop and also took a proactive approach to the sharing of service lift safety information, engagement with service lift OEMs and supporting further industry research to assess whether service lifts are fit for purpose.

In March 2017, the G+ held a further SbD workshop on the design and operation of WTG transition piece mounted davit cranes. It is anticipated that the report from this workshop will be published this Summer. The key findings from the workshop were:

• To date, the offshore wind industry has lots of operational experience with davit cranes and their role in minor offshore lifting operations. Looking forward, davit cranes are likely to remain an important part of minor lifting operations offshore.

• The issues encountered with the design and operation of davit cranes are generally typical of a technology that is similar to, but not the same as what it was designed for.

• It is now appropriate to develop good practice that addresses the design and operation of davit cranes as employed in offshore wind, rather than relying on extrapolation of good practice from other sectors and generic sources.

The G+ are also in the process of organising a SbD workshop for Autumn 2017. Topic, venue and date all to be confirmed shortly. Please check the G+ website for further details.

A number of workshops are also planned for 2018. If you have any suggestions for topics for the SbD programme, then please do not hesitate to contact the G+ to discuss those further.

The G+ is delighted to announce that it has developed an Associate membership package. A key theme of 2016 and 2017 for G+ has been improved and increased engagement with those in the offshore wind industry, outside of the G+. It is hoped that the Associate membership concept will assist with continuing this engagement in a more structured manner.

At this point in time, to qualify for Associate membership, applicants must meet one of the qualifying criteria below:

• Offshore wind farm developers with a site licence and planning consent for a project that has a planned capacity > 30MW;

• "Non-lead" offshore wind farm owners (i.e. not involved in operations, but owners or part owners of an operational project);

• Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) of offshore wind turbines; or

• Transmission network owners.

The following are the benefits associated with Associate membership of G+:

• Attendance at the Annual General Meeting of G+;

• Attendance at Focal Group meetings of the G+ on a rotational basis. Each quarter, a representative of a different Associate Member category will be entitled to attend a Focal Group meeting.;

• Right to actively participate in (but not vote at) G+ working groups;

• Right to contribute suggestions for topics to be included in the G+ "Safe by Design" programme; and

• Recognition of the member company as an Associate Member on the G+ website.

The G+ will contact those that it believes meet the membership criteria in Spring/Summer 2017. If you haven't been contacted though and believe you are eligible then please don't hesitate to let us know.

The G+ will review the Associate membership concept on an annual basis to ensure it still reflects its original intent and that the correct groups of companies are included.

The G+ Associate membership is not open to those who qualify to be full G+ members. The G+ is always interested in gaining more eligible members though so if you believe you meet the full member criteria then please do not hesitate to contact us to discuss this further.

Safe by Design

G+ Associate membership

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G+ Safe by Design workshop report: WTG service lifts

G+ Newsletter Spring/Summer 2017

At DONG Energy Wind Power safety awareness has been developed and strengthened over the years, by different campaigns and initiatives throughout the organisation. A monthly Health & Safety Performance Dashboard is one of the means used to maintain safety awareness, keeping safety on everyone's agenda.

The dashboard is an A0-sized printed poster and is distributed to all locations where DONG Energy Wind Power staff are deployed i.e. construction sites, operation sites, offices and supplier fabrication facilities. A total of 76 dashboards are printed and distributed throughout the footprint of DONG Energy Wind Power.

The dashboard consists of three different elements – Safety Statistics, Monthly Focus and Safety Perspective. Safety Statistics displays basic information on safety performance (recordable incidents, restricted work day cases and lost time injuries), risk exposure (high potential incidents) and incident distribution, handling and processing.

The Monthly Focus is typically information on new or revised procedures, or reiteration of procedures where such is needed, e.g. seasonal procedures (winter precautions), or where gradual nonconformity is experienced. In addition, safety targets, detailed statistical analysis, or lessons learned from incidents are displayed in the Monthly Focus.

The Safety Perspective is primarily for inspiration and to help employees reflect on safety, or look at safety from a different point of view. The Safety Perspective topic is always in some way connected to the Monthly Focus.

In the May/June issue of the dashboard, the Monthly Focus reiterates the DONG Energy Wind Power requirements for safety helmets and Safety Perspective tells the story about the airbag bicycle helmet. Although the airbag bicycle helmet is not yet particularly relevant in a wind industry perspective, it is a good example of how safety technology evolves. Safety Perspective links this to the development of the transfer quick connector, recently introduced in the wind industry to make offshore

transfers safer.

The overall objective of the dashboard is to keep all DONG Energy Wind Power employees informed about the health and safety "state of the nation" at DONG Energy Wind Power and to keep them updated on applicable procedures, processes and best practices etc. Even more importantly it helps them continue the safety dialogue in their departments, sites or projects, by providing them with interesting HSE topics to discuss.

Along with the dashboard a Manager's Safety Brief is issued to all managers at DONG Energy Wind Power. The Brief contains the same information as the dashboard in PowerPoint format, so that managers can chose to present the information on the dashboard

as a presentation at department meetings or similar, or gather their employees around the printed dashboards. In addition, the Brief contains some additional background information for managers, to help them present the information and to keep safety on the agenda in their area of responsibility.

The G+ Good Practice Guidelines (GPGs):

• Working at height in the offshore wind industry

• The safe management of small service vessels used in the offshore wind industry

were published in December 2014. Since the publication of these guidelines, the G+ has received a number of suggested improvements, from both members and non-members. As a result, it was decided that both guidelines would be updated in 2017.

There have been a number of meetings on the small service vessels guidelines and an updated draft has been circulated within the G+ for comment. The next step will be to undertake a public consultation on this guideline, due to take place in Summer 2017.

Fewer updates are expected on the working at height guidelines. A workshop is being arranged to discuss:

• Use of walk to work systems for direct transfer between an SOV and a WTG.

• Use of daughter craft for transit between an SOV and a WTG, resulting in step-over to the ladder on the foundation being from the daughter craft rather than a conventional crew transfer vessel.

• Transferring between CTVs and SOVs – i.e. transferring between two floating vessels.

The aim is to hold the workshop in summer 2017 with the updated working at height guidelines to follow.

Good safety performance does not come by itself. It requires dedicated management commitment, good processes and procedures, equipment and tools and a strong safety awareness.

DONG Energy: Keeping safety on everybody's agenda

Good practice guidelines

3Image by www.chpv.co.uk

DONG Energy Wind Power Health & Safety Performance Dashboard

G+ Newsletter Spring/Summer 2017

diversification

EDF Energy Renewables is a joint venture between EDF Energies Nouvelles and EDF Energy.

The Blyth Offshore Demonstrator project is currently under construction. The project consists of 5 MHI Vestas V164-8.3 MW WTGs sitting on gravity base foundations, situated 5.6km off the coast of Blyth.

The five bases have been manufactured at the Dry Dock in Newcastle upon Tyne. The pictures to the right provide a real appreciation of the challenges that the team have faced.

The gravity base foundations result in 15,000 tonnes ballasted on the seabed, with circa 18,000m³ of concrete in one foundation.

Once constructed the bases will be floated out and towed to the pre prepared location where the WTGs will be fitted. The project has been fairly unique with a wide variety of hazards to be managed simultaneously, including: large plant movement; working at height; rope access; high volume of planned crane activity; confined space working, and hot works to name but a few. All of this work has had to be undertaken with a real emphasis on the ZERO HARM. To do this EDF ER has created a Safety Charter that all parties have signed onto. The team has also introduced ZERO HARM Workshops for all staff working on site and behavioural safety training for Senior Executives responsible for Blyth. Director HSE meetings have been undertaken across the contract structure to talk exclusively about H&S and proactive HSE indicators used to monitor performance, such as safety observations, leadership visits, ZERO HARM workshop attendance, RAMS submitted on time, etc. Safety walks for senior staff have also been used to drive performance and to help deliver a safe project.

Blyth Offshore Demonstrator

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The G+, supported by the Energy Institute (EI), presents two annual health and safety (H&S) incident data reports. In June 2017 the G+ launched their global G+ 2016 incident data report at the Offshore Wind Energy 2017 conference in London. The 2016 UK report will be published in Summer 2017.

The G+ report gives a comprehensive insight into the health and safety performance of G+ members. Throughout 2016, member companies have provided quarterly reports that have been analysed by the EI. These data have been categorised into either the development, project (construction and commissioning) or operations phases of offshore wind farm projects. Data is collected on where the incident occurred, what work process was taking place and the consequence of the incident.

The 2016 report is broadly in the same format as that published in 2015, with the following changes:

• UK specific metrics (RIDDOR, onshore construction analysis) have been moved to the UK report.

• Manual handling and working with hand tools/power tools have feature pages due to the higher number of lost work day incidents occurring during these work processes. The G+ is currently looking further into the causes of manual handling incidents with a view to developing guidance specific to the offshore wind industry.

• Working at heights, lifting operations and marine operations have feature pages as they have the greatest number of high potential incidents reported. The G+ is updating their good practice guidelines on working at height and the management of small service vessels, and has held SbD workshops on lifting operations generally and davit cranes more specifically.

• For the first time the report highlights the proportion of high potential incidents within the data for each work process and incident area.

Key findings of the G+ 2016 incident data report

This is the fourth annual G+ report in the series, and provides the latest

figures on reported incidents in 2016. The overall Lost Time Injury Frequency (LTIF) is 1.98, which is broadly equivalent to 2015, while the Total Recordable Injury Rate (TRIR) decreased by 8% to 5.52.

In total 994 incidents were reported in 2016, approximately two thirds of which took place on operational sites, and almost all others on project sites. The consequence data reported as:

• 0 fatalities;

• 43 lost work day incidents;

• 35 restricted work day incidents;

• 42 medical treatment injuries;

• 62 first aid injuries;

• 272 near hits, and

• 540 hazards.

In Q1 2017 G+ members began to collect data on the immediate and underlying causes of lost work day incidents, an analysis of which will be included in the 2017 annual report. This focus will enable industry wide organisational learning and encourage proactive interventions, reducing the reliance on lagging indicators, such as incident data. As the industry reporting through the G+ matures it becomes easier to identify where health and safety interventions are needed and what may cause issues in the future.

The primary aim of the G+ is to deliver world class health and safety performance in the offshore wind industry. Through the sharing and analysis of the H&S incidents provided by G+ member companies, an evidence-based understanding has been developed of the risks encountered during the development, construction and operational phases of an offshore wind project. This information is being used by the G+ to identify the risks in the offshore wind industry, allowing the group's work to be focused in areas of higher risk exposure. The G+ has also received positive feedback from the supply chain, who appreciate the access to these reports and the G+ transparency with these data.

2016 Health & Safety Statistics

Above: EDF Energy Renewables Health and Safety Charter

Right: Construction of gravity base foundations for the Blyth Offshore Demonstrator project

G+ Newsletter Spring/Summer 2017

Case studies

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The G+ is publishing a number of short H&S case studies. The purpose of this initiative is to promote all the good work G+ members are doing and to share this information more widely in the industry. The first case study that has been prepared was also the winner of the 2017 RenewableUK H&S Award – Greater Gabbard and the BMO. This is available on the G+ website.

We also have a draft case study covering the Statoil "Safety Champions" initiative (also nominated for the RUK H&S Award), which will be published in Summer 2017.

Ladder climbingIn September 2015 a fatal incident occurred on an onshore WTG service lift in Germany. Since this incident, a large number of offshore wind operators placed a prohibition on the use of service lifts, until the root cause of the incident has been disclosed by the German authorities investigating the incident. Although this incident occurred at an onshore wind farm, the service lifts are similar to those used in the offshore wind industry. Although some limited details from the investigation have been disclosed, and a number of hypotheses have been put forward as to why the incident has occurred, the G+ Focal Group believes that the full investigation report will not be issued for a number of years.

Whilst WTG service lifts were either in prohibition or out of service due to defects, if helicopter transfer of technicians is not possible, then any work / fault finding required in the nacelle area will require a technician to climb the tower ladder in order to access this area. Given that a typical offshore wind turbine tower can be in the region of 80 – 120 m high, this represents a significant amount of climbing to be undertaken. At present it is unknown what the short and long term effects of ladder climbing will be in relation to:

• The cumulative effect of climbing on the body and whether there is an increased risk in musculoskeletal disorders

• The effects of heat stress on the technician whilst climbing and their ability to perform their work safely after multiple ladder climbs

• Whether there is an increased risk of injury to e.g. hands through the increased level of climbing being undertaken

• Whether the current industry physical fitness standards are adequate for assess a technician's ability to undertake the expected level of ladder climbing.

In addition, it has become apparent that a detailed ergonomics assessment, which identifies the key risks to technicians (long term and short term) associated with ladder climbing in the offshore wind industry has not been undertaken. The G+ Focal Group believes this assessment is needed and should cover the ladders themselves (on the boat landing and inside the turbine tower) with associated infrastructure, the interaction with the technicians whilst in use (when they are fully equipment with all relevant PPE) and the operations and duties they will be expected to perform.

The G+ has concluded the tender process for this piece of work and has awarded the research contract to the University of Portsmouth.

Please look out for updates on this researc as it progresses on the G+ twitter feed and website.

In 2016 the G+ initiated a workstream to look at reducing the number of dropped objects in the offshore wind industry. DNV GL was appointed as the contractor to undertake this work and they analysed the G+ incident data on dropped objects to extract further information on these incidents. The table below shows the main causes of incidents analysed in the G+ incident data.

As part of the dropped object workstream a workshop will be held on 26 July to discuss work done to date, analyse a number of incident scenarios and possible barriers/mitigation measures, and also next steps for the workstream. Please contact the G+ if you would be interested in attending.

Dropped objects

G+ Newsletter Spring/Summer 2017

The last newsletter was issued at the G+ Annual Stakeholder Day held in London on 6 December 2016. At the event we outlined our Quick Wins in response to the UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Bootle workshop that was held in November 2015. The presentations that were given on the day are available to download from the G+ website. The proposals and agreements between the G+ members represent an important step towards fulfilling the Organisation's ambition to provide leadership on the H&S challenges within the offshore wind industry and further reinforce the organisations role as an authority on H&S issues.

At this event there were over 120 delegates in attendance from a range of companies and organisations. Throughout the day they heard from G+ members on the achievements of the Organisation, the Safe by Design workshop programme, the quick win proposals and a spotlight on dropped object incident reduction and prevention. Delegates were given the opportunity to ask questions about the G+ work programme, with panel sessions involving senior industry representatives who gave their opinions on key H&S issues and the future plan for the organisation.

G+ Annual Stakeholder Day

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New member to the G+ teamWe are delighted to announce that Celestia Godbehere has been chosen, by the EI, to support delivery of the G+. work programme. Celestia was previously working at the EI on the Hearts and Minds, human factors and behavioural safety work programmes. Her main role will be to manage the G+ H&S incident data reporting and analysis. Celestia replaces Bir Virk who has left the EI and joined Elexon.

Frank Monaghan, Health and Safety Director, ScottishPower Renewables speaking at G+ Stakeholder Forum

Andrew Sykes, Technical Manager, Energy Institute and Celestia Godbehere, Technical Officer, Energy Institute at Offshore Wind Energy 2017

2017 Energy Barometer

Contact the G+If you would like to find out more details about any of the articles included within this newsletter or on other G+ related items then please do not hesitate to contact us. Details are as follows:

Kate Harvey, General Manager e: Kate.Harvey@sse.com

Andrew Sykes, Technical Manager e: asykes@energyinst.org

Celestia Godbehere, Technical Officer e: cgodbehere@energyinst.org

The G+ welcomes input to any of the articles included within this newsletter so if you feel you can contribute then please get in touch.

Further details on the G+ and all workstreams can be found on the G+ website at: www.gplusoffshorewind.com

G+ also has a twitter page: @gplusglobalofw

The Energy Barometer is an annual survey through which EI members voice their expectations, hopes and concerns for their industry, to inform the energy debate. Jonathan Cole highlights the importance of a flexible future energy system and so do EI members, who envision a system that is more decentralised and flexible, with increased customer engagement. Public engagement is identified in the report as a top challenge for the industry in 2017, and is seen as key to achieving the necessary transformation of the energy system. Read the full report which addresses the other top challenges for industry in 2017 according to energy professionals.