Worker Health and Safety on Offshore Wind Farms - Special Report 310 (2013) / Chapter Skim
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1 Introduction
1 Introduction
Pages 5-18
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onshore "installed capacity" exceed 10 million MW.2 In addition, potential offshore wind resources in U.S. coastal and Great Lakes waters are conservatively estimated at more than 2 million MW.3 Offshore wind could help the United States provide energy to coastal cities, where much of the nation's population and electricity demand lie (NREL 2012)
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to grant leases for activity that involves the production, transportation, or transmission of energy on the outer continental shelf (OCS) lands from sources other than gas and oil.6 In April 2009, the President and the Secretary of the Interior announced the final regulations for the OCS Renewable Energy Program, which defined the regulatory process and provided a framework for "leases, easements, and rights-of-way" for activities promoting the safe and environmentally responsible production and transmission of energy on the OCS from sources other than oil and natural gas (Federal Register 2009)
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.10 To illustrate the size of these wind turbines, the nacelle of the Vestas 7-MW turbine will rise more than 110 meters above sea level, and its three rotor blades, 80 meters each, will have a diameter of more than 164 meters, exceeding the diameter of four Airbus A380 passenger planes placed nose to nose.11 A turbine blade of the Siemens SWT-6.0-154 measures 75 meters, nearly the width of an Airbus A380 (see Figure 1-2) .12 10 See also http://www.renewableenergyfocus.com/view/20429/ge-to-develop-15-mw-wind-turbine.
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FIGURE 1-2 (a) Diameter of Vestas V164 7-MW turbine blades compared with four Airbus A380s; (b)
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BOEM reviews the description of the SMS submitted with the COP only for completeness of information.15 In addition, the regulations as written in §585.810 provide limited detail as to what an SMS should include and do not direct operators to specific standards or guidelines. 13 See also Reorganization of Title 30: Bureaus of Safety and Environmental Enforcement and Ocean Energy Management, on October 18, 2011.
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You must submit a description of the Safety Management Sys tem you will use with your COP (provided under §585.627(d)
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normally has jurisdiction for all for worker health and safety regulations in the United States, including the OCS, unless another federal agency preempts OSHA by enforcing different regulations. BOEM's intention to enforce health and safety regulations for wind energy through its SMS requirement has preempted OSHA, but only for activities on the OCS, generally beyond 3 nautical miles (see Figure 1-3)
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states and some territories AL RIS under domestic law, with the exception of Texas, E Florida's west coast, and Puerto Rico, whose jurisdictions extend to 9 nautical miles offshore. The outer edge of the continental margin is a principal basis for determining a coastal nation's jurisdiction over sea bed resources beyond 200 nautical miles from the baseline.
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• Organizations and associations, both domestic and international, have developed standards and guidelines for worker health and safety on offshore wind farms. They are in use by other countries and com panies, but BOEM would need to adapt them to serve as regulations in the United States.
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The study will identify workplace risks involved with wind farms, such as working in proximity to high-power electrical devices on offshore substations, extensive use of elevators for wind turbines in a highly corrosive environment, accessing turbine blades for repair via helicopter, crane operations during construction, and use of CO2 fire suppression systems in potentially manned areas. The study will identify gaps in current regulations and recom mend additional areas of workplace health and safety regulation deemed necessary.
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Furthermore, the study does not discuss the economics of wind farms, including such topics as financing and overall costs of commissioning and operating, nor does it discuss any particular tax incentives. The committee considers the role of design and HFE in protecting worker health and safety, but hazards resulting from structural failure are not part of its charge.
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For its second task, the committee examined the jurisdictional authority of relevant federal agencies and the regulatory approaches offered by each and determined whether gaps or overlaps of jurisdiction exist. For its third task, the committee evaluated the current regulatory framework and provided options for enhancing regulations for worker health and safety on wind farms on the OCS.
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Chapter 5 evaluates the regulatory framework and discusses options for addressing potential gaps. Chapter 6 states the committee's conclusions, key findings, and recommendations for enhancing regulations for worker health and safety on wind farms located on the OCS.
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2009. Renewable Energy and Alternate Uses of Existing Facilities on the Outer Continental Shelf; Final Rule.
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