UK: Forewind Runner-Up in Safety Award

Forewind’s practice run-through approach to offshore surveys has been named as runner-up in the RenewableUK and The Crown Estate, Renewable Energy Health and Safety Award for 2013.

Introduced during 2011 and rolled out in 2012, the approach involves full in-harbour enactments of each activity to be undertaken on vessels during surveys offshore. It was developed to improve the safety of all operations at sea and embed good HSE practice.

The Award promotes the development, implementation and sharing of best practice in health and safety across the sector and was announced on the eve of RenewableUK’s annual Health and Safety conference in Sheffield, last month. Technip PIM was named as this year’s winner.

RenewableUK stated that the competition was extremely close, with applicants demonstrating their strong commitment and innovation in ensuring that the renewables sector is one of the safest in which to work.

Forewind General Manager Lee Clarke said that the concept of enacting each full survey process while in the peace and calm of a port or harbour was devised because similar operations may pose different risks and hazards on different vessels.

“Following a successful trial period our request for vessel-specific work instructions and risk assessments, and in-harbour enactments at mobilisation was rolled out to all contractors and every vessel working for Forewind has now implemented what we call the ‘practice run-through approach’,” Dr Clarke said.

“We were pleased to gain recognition of our approach from Renewable UK and hope it will increase the awareness and implementation of this method, therefore improving industry safety.” 

[mappress]
Press release, February 11, 2013; Image: Forewind