Carleton College V82, Northfield, Minnesota

Wind—the Breath of Lifeor

the Kiss of Death

Paul Gipe, wind-works.org

Analysis of Wind Energy FatalitiesBy

Paul Gipe

Dedicated to Allthe Men & Women

Who Work with Wind EnergyEverywhere

Paul Gipe, wind-works.orgTehachapi, California

Adapted fromWind Energy for the Rest of Us

(2016), Chapter 17, Safety

Paul Gipe, wind-works.org

Wieringemeer, Noord Holland

Why Wind?

“A Gift from the Heavens”--Franz Alt, Theologian, Dedication of

Dardesheim

“Me, I Work with the Mistral, the Breath of the Good Lord”

--Alphonse Daudet, Lettres de mon Moulin

Paul Gipe, wind-works.org Dardesheim, Germany

Druiberg--Brocken

Why Wind?

To Protect Life—Not Take it

Wind -- “Relatively” Benign

Paul Gipe, wind-works.org

Manawatu Gorge, NZ

We obey the law to stay in business,but we obey the laws of physics to

stay alive.

Paul Gipe, wind-works.org

--Anonymous Windsmith

Ferndale, Ontario

Deaths Database1980-2020 = 40 years!Began with a Colleague’s Death

Paul Gipe, wind-works.org Hohe Westerwald, Germany

Terry Mehrkam

• Killed 1981• He Wasn’t the

First!

Paul Gipe, wind-works.org 1978, Hamburg, Pennsylvania

Deaths Database: Limitations• Deaths Only—Not Injuries• English Search Only• Dependent Upon Tips

What Comes “Over the Transom”

• No Longer ActiveLooking to Hand This Over

• Effectively “Ad Hoc”

Paul Gipe, wind-works.org Endurance, Upland, Indiana

Safety Practices Now Standard

It Wasn’t Always So!

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Ydby, Denmark

What’s Wrong with this Picture?• No Fall-Arrest System• No Work Platform• No Anchors• No Training

Paul Gipe, wind-works.org Canyon, Texas, 1979

Deaths by Size

Paul Gipe, wind-works.org

<30 kW

<100 kW

<1,000 kW

<2,000 kW

<3,000 kW

<10,000 kW

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35

Small Wind Particularly Deadly D/TWh

Deaths by Activity 1980-2021

Paul Gipe, wind-works.org

Construction

O&M

Public

Manufacturing

Training

Suicides

Deaths

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

No Passersby!

Deaths by Country 1980-2021

Paul Gipe, wind-works.org

21

512

61010

25

111

21

37

ArgentinaBrazil

CanadaChina

DenmarkGermany

Great BritainIreland

NetherlandsNew Zealand

NorwayPortugal

SpainSweden

USA

Deaths

0 10 20 30 40

Europe ~ USA

Age of Those Killed 1980-2021

Paul Gipe, wind-works.org

Age

Youngest Person Killed* 3

Oldest Person Killed** 85

Median Age 35

* Gin pole on hinged tower fell on child playing unsupervised.

** Heart attack after climbing to top of tower.

Other Observations of Those Killed 1980-2021

Paul Gipe, wind-works.org

Age

Male 94Female 2Child 1Pilot 1SkyDiver 1Suicide 1Prank 1

Most Killed in One Accident

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Year Deaths

Denmark 1990 2

China 2011 3

China 2011 5

Deadliest Years

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Year Deaths

2011 16

2009 8

2012 7

2010 6

Occupational Deaths in Wind Energy 1993-2019

Paul Gipe, wind-works.org

Renewable Tariffs Launched

93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

Year

0

0.05

0.1

0.15

0.2

0.25Deaths/TWh

Good News: Death Rate Declining

Occupation Deaths in Power Generation

Paul Gipe, wind-works.org

Coal

Oil

Gas

Nuclear

Hydro

Wind

Deaths/TWh

0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2 1.4

Includes Latent Mortality

Includes Latent Mortality

?

Small Wind TurbineTower Safety

• Aerial Lifts• Fall Arrest Systems• Work Platforms• Anchors• Rotor Locking Pins• Yaw Pins• Tower Training

Paul Gipe, wind-works.org

NREL, Colorado

Tower Safety

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Small Wind Work Platforms

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E3120, 2012 ScotlandAerowatt, 1998 Patagonia

Small Wind Work Platforms

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Hand Rail, No Toe Guard

V17, 2012 Denmark

Small Wind

• Locked Access Ladders

• Ladder with Side Rails

• No Open Pegs

Paul Gipe, wind-works.org

Large Turbine Tower Safety

• Helmet• Gloves• Harness• Radio• Fall Arrest

© Rope Partner

Paul Gipe, wind-works.org

Safety . . .

Paul Gipe, wind-works.org

• Anti-Climb Guards• Shaft Guards• Two-Person Crews• Regular Reviews• Myth Busting

“Never Fall Ascending”“Want to Jump Free”

Cleveland, Ohio

Fall Protection• Body Harness• Shock-Absorbing Lanyard• Double-Acting Snap Hook• Positioning Belt is Only for

Positioning

Paul Gipe, wind-works.org

Tower Safety

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Ladders Must Have Side Rails

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NOT ThisThis

Gut Rippers

Secure Rotor Locking

Paul Gipe, wind-works.org© Nordex

Blade Root Doors

Paul Gipe, wind-works.org V47, Tararua, NZ

Aerial Lifts—No Baskets

Paul Gipe, wind-works.org

Safe Access

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Secure Access It’s Windy Out There

Paul Gipe, wind-works.org

• Lock to Prevent Unauthorized Access

• Latch to PreventDoor Closing

• Interior ReleaseTo Prevent Confinement

• Ventilation Louvers© Lagerwey

Clearly Marked Anchorages

Paul Gipe, wind-works.org

Secure Rails & Attachments

Paul Gipe, wind-works.org

© Nordex

Be Careful Out There—Don’t be Stupid

Paul Gipe, wind-works.org

Absolutely Do Not Do This at Home!

Wulf Test Field, Tehachapi, California

Paul Gipe, wind-works.org

*"Il n'est rien au monde d'aussi puissant qu'uneidée dont l'heure est venue." Victor Hugo.

“Nothing is as powerful as an idea whose time has come.”-- Victor Hugo*

Our Time has Come

Paul Gipe, wind-works.org

Tera Kora, Curaçao

No Time for Half-Measures

No Time to Lose

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Gaspé Peninsula, Quebec

Time to Take the Road to the Future

Paul Gipe, wind-works.orgFreiburg, Germany

We Need A Lot More Wind . . .

Paul Gipe, wind-works.org

Matane, Quebec

. . . A Lot More Solar

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Hinesburg, Vermont

. . . A Lot More Renewable Energy a Technology for Life*

*from N.F.S. Grundtvig, Danish TheologianPaul Gipe, wind-works.org

Paul Gipe, wind-works.orgAdam Twine, Westmill Wind Cooperative, Oxfordshire, EnglandPaul Gipe, wind-works.org

The Revolution Has Begun

Paul Gipe, wind-works.org