Safety is considered paramount in the offshore wind industry; however, individuals break the rules that were created and are implemented to protect them. The present study has four objectives: to find how the work environment affects the implementation of the Wind Turbine Safety Rules, to find deficiencies on the application of the Wind Safety Rules (WTSR), to study relations between technician’s backgrounds and how they perceive the rules. Furthermore to probe to which extent the difference between customer staff, manufacturer staff and contractors may affect their attitude towards the rules.
To achieve this, sixty-one individuals from three different organisations, that are trained on or working under the WTSR were sent an online survey; of which thirty-five individuals completed the survey. The results indicate that work environment does severally affect the implementation of the rules and can be a catalyst for rule violation. Several shortcomings of the implementation of the WTSR identified, and that can be related to management responsibilities. There are some differences between manufacturer and customer staff views regarding safety. The analysis of relations between technician’s backgrounds, roles, education or skillset demonstrated that even though technicians believe that the WTSR exist to protect them, they also believe they are used to protected companies from prosecution.
The same analysis indicates that the role does not influence the way technicians see the rules but affects the way others exert pressure on them, with Authorising Engineers (AE) followed by Authorised Technicians (AT) as feeling most pressured to break the rules. This study lays the foundation for further studies on this topic and provides recommendations to mitigate rule violations in the offshore wind industry.
Table of Contents
Wind Turbine Safety Rules: A study on rule violation in the offshore wind industry in the UK
Acknowledgements
Abstract
List of tables and figures
Introduction
Literature Review
Research Methodology
Findings, Discussion and Analysis
Conclusions
Reference List
Bibliography
Annexes
Research Objective and Key Themes
The primary objective of this dissertation is to investigate the dynamics of rule violation within the UK offshore wind industry, specifically focusing on how work environments, management practices, and individual technician backgrounds influence the implementation of Wind Turbine Safety Rules (WTSR).
- The impact of high-pressure work environments and production targets on safety compliance.
- The identification of systemic shortcomings in the current WTSR application, including bureaucratic paperwork burdens.
- The correlation between technician demographics, roles, and their personal safety perceptions.
- The role of organizational culture and leadership in fostering or hindering a safety-first mindset.
Excerpt from the Dissertation
Identification of the shortcomings of the implementation of the rules
The faults on the use of the WTSR are identified on the answers to Q9.3 more than any other question, and they can be split accordingly into four main topics: lack of policing, obsolete approach to safety rules, management and experience.
Several respondents suggested that the remote work location provides an environment that is protected from outside scrutiny and consequently depends solemnly on the AT morals to enforce the rules – “If they really wanted to implement them [WTSR] properly they would do offshore spot checks”. This remote work environment without policing other than self-regulation presents itself as an opportunity to bypass the rules since a single individual is in full control, which is validated by several authors (Ashforth and Anand, 2003; Baucus, 1994; Martin et al., 2013).
This lack of policing is bound to a sense that the paperwork load is immense and often more prominent and more dangerous than the task it wants to provide protection from – “Too many isolations for a small task”. The practicality of the rules is often cited as making the safety process a mere paperwork exercise with many respondents criticising the WTSR – “There are certain aspects for the rules, that were put in place when the WTSR were first created that are not functional anymore…” with others critiquing that the rules consist of “…lengthy documents with long-winded explanations”. This view of a burdensome paperwork job is also supported at Q8.1 and Q8.2 the participants stated that the most and least important document to their safety was the AWP and MS respectively.
Summary of Chapters
Introduction: Provides the background of the Wind Turbine Safety Rules (WTSR) and sets the foundation for the research, highlighting the necessity of this study in an industry lacking scientific exploration of rule-breaking.
Literature Review: Analyzes the conceptual framework of WTSR, draws parallels with the offshore oil and gas industry, and discusses existing theories on human behavior, rule-breaking, and the hierarchy of control.
Research Methodology: Outlines the mixed-method approach used, including the design of an online survey targeted at key personnel within the offshore wind sector to gather qualitative and quantitative data.
Findings, Discussion and Analysis: Presents the gathered data, categorizing findings into themes such as commercial pressure, safety culture, peer pressure, and management influence on rule adherence.
Conclusions: Summarizes the research achievements, confirms the impact of management and work environment on safety compliance, and suggests recommendations for digital system integration and better leadership practices.
Keywords
Wind Turbine Safety Rules, WTSR, offshore wind industry, safety culture, rule violation, human factors, risk assessment, AWP, work environment, commercial pressure, safety leadership, occupational health and safety, permit to work, compliance, management responsibility.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research?
This study focuses on the phenomenon of rule violation within the UK offshore wind industry, specifically evaluating how the current Wind Turbine Safety Rules (WTSR) are perceived and applied by onsite staff.
What are the primary themes discussed in the work?
The work centers on commercial pressure, safety culture, the role of management in policing rules, and the impact of bureaucratic paperwork on frontline operations.
What is the primary research goal?
The main goal is to identify why technicians deviate from established safety rules and how the work environment, rather than individual traits alone, acts as a catalyst for such behaviors.
Which scientific methods were utilized?
The research employs a mixed-method approach, combining qualitative and quantitative data derived from an online survey conducted among 35 offshore wind industry participants.
What is examined in the main section of the dissertation?
The main sections analyze the relationship between technician backgrounds (education, role, employer) and their safety perceptions, while also identifying critical system failures in the current rule implementation.
Which keywords best characterize this study?
Key terms include WTSR, safety culture, rule violation, human factors, offshore wind, and management influence.
How does remote work affect the application of the WTSR?
The remote nature of offshore work leads to limited external policing, causing the system to rely heavily on self-regulation and the morals of the individual leading the work party.
Why do participants perceive the rules as both protective and restrictive?
While technicians acknowledge the rules are designed for safety, they also feel that the rules are sometimes used by corporations as a legal shield to avoid prosecution, leading to dissonance.
- Quote paper
- Fabio Branco (Author), 2019, Wind Turbine Safety Rules. A study on rule violation in the offshore wind industry in the UK, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/512983
