Safety Alert Issued on Butendiek OWF Accident

A serious accident occurred in the night of Sunday 6 July 2014 at the German offshore wind farm Butendiek. The victim, a Danish employee hired by Ballast Nedam, was admitted to the hospital in critical condition. 

Due to the seriousness of his injuries, he spent 6 weeks in hospital. He will need further surgery and his recovery will take a considerable amount of time.

Together with the client (wpd), the victim’s employer (Apro Wind A/S) and the insurance company, Ballast Nedam Offshore installed a joint accident investigation team supervised by an independent company. After the root cause had been identified and mitigating measures had been taken, the Svanen recommenced monopile installation works on 11 July.

The root cause of the accident was an emergency towing line that got stuck under the vessel. This created a cascade of events, that resulted in a snapped wire. The snapped wire hit the injured person.

As a result of the complete report of the investigation team’s findings, a review of the installation procedures has been made and a safety alert has been issued.

Besides the direct cause, the safety alert focuses on the behavioural issue of diminished perception of High Risk Activities after they have been performed a considerable number of times, by the implementation of two mitigating measures:

1.     Enhanced involvement of Superintendent, lifting supervisor, riggers and HSE professionals in assessing the process and risks during the project.

2.     Renewed emphasis on distribution of tasks and responsibilities, specifically when High Risk Activities are performed simultaneously. This is communicated and registered during the start work meeting per shift.

These measures have been implemented at the Amrumbank project with immediate effect. 

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