ERGONOMIC RISK ASSESSMENTS OF MAINTENANCE TASKS IN WIND TURBINES
ViVA provided the integrated risk assessments on wind turbine maintenance tasks to inform the task re-design control strategies in the renewable energy sector.
PROJECT LEAD
PROJECT TEAM
PARTNERED WITH
Software solutions, ErgoAnalyst
Context
The renewable energy sector is rapidly emerging as a strategy to address global challenges of climate change, energy security, and the environmental impacts of fossil fuel consumption. Among the technologies, wind energy turbines are recognised for their vast potential to generate clean, sustainable power.
Challenge
Wind turbines are designed for wind energy production, yet often the designs do not consider the human access requirements for maintenance tasks. A wind turbine production company requested ergonomic risk assessments of their turbine maintenance tasks.
Approach
A ViVA human factors and ergonomics senior advisor team member attended site to observe maintenance tasks in the natural setting, interview workers, and review company literature. The human factors team also reviewed scientific literature to understand the work demands of turbine maintenance staff. The senior advisor conducted integrated risk assessments.
Outcomes
ViVA reported on the integrated, discriminatory acute and cumulative risk assessment findings on distinct tasks, recognising exertion hazards, awkward and restricted work areas, fall and trip hazards, psychosocial demands, cognitive work factors, and environmental constraints. This enabled the business to prioritise their control strategies to manage task re-design and to inform new turbine design strategies.