UK safety body demands reforms after ‘crushed hand’ incident involving Siemens Gamesa turbine

The incident happened at the 228MW Pen y Cymoedd wind farm on 24 June, 2020, when a worker’s hand became trapped between fixed and moving parts of a lift system fitted inside the turbine. 

The HSE said: “The external controls were positioned on the moving parts, and the design of the landing gates and associated guarding did not prevent him reaching the moving lift car which crushed his hand against the gate.”

The Pen Y Cymoedd wind farm is operated by Vattenfall and features Siemens Gamesa SWT-3.0-113 DD wind turbines. 

The HSE told Windpower Monthly a safety notice entitled “Service lifts in offshore and onshore wind turbines” related to the incident. 

In it, the watchdog said its investigation found there was an “absence of defined industry standards for the safe design of service lifts within wind turbines”, which “resulted in discrepancies in the application of required safeguards by designers and manufacturers”. 

The HSE’s has set a new standard – BS EN 81-44 – which includes requirements for wind turbine operators, suppliers and manufacturers in response to the incident. 

It urged operators to “immediately check the design of gates, associated guarding, and the position of the external controls of lifts in use” and make adjustments if necessary. 

Manufacturers and suppliers meanwhile were asked to “help duty holders who operate lifts, or employers of users of lifts, that you have supplied to eliminate these hazards”. 

‘Serious risk of injuries’

The UK’s Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) also probed the incident and published its findings earlier this year. 

It said that the SWT-3.0-113 DD turbine “presents a serious risk of injuries as the design of the landing gates is inadequate, as when the service lift is operated using either the internal or external controls, the gates do not prevent persons outside the lift car from coming into contact with the moving lift.”

The OPSS added: “It is possible for parts of a person to become caught in the post-box style slots and drawn in or trapped between the moving lift and the landing gate or platform edges, resulting in risk of serious injury”. 

The OPSS said the supplier had responded and “agreed to engage with all previously supplied customers, recommending that they initiate a risk review of the service lift and wind turbine generator interface as a matter of priority”. 

Internal investigation

A Siemens Gamesa spokesperson said: 

“On 24 June 2020, an incident occurred at the Pen Y Cymoedd wind farm in the UK when a Siemens Gamesa service team was carrying out service activities with technicians employed by the wind farm owner. Unfortunately one of the technicians employed by the wind farm owner suffered laceration injuries to two of his fingers when he sought to operate the service lift. First aid was applied at the scene, and the technician was transferred to hospital where his injuries were treated.

“An internal investigation was undertaken at the time and measures were introduced to prevent a reoccurrence.  Health and safety is always a top priority for Siemens Gamesa and we share this commitment with all of our partners.”

Avanti Wind Systems, which supplied the lift system inside the turbines at Pen Y Cymoedd, was contacted for comment.