Safety in all jobs is essential, but it is sacrosanct for wind turbine technicians. Dealing with heavy electrical machinery daily means often scaling great heights and tight spaces. They need safety equipment that will not only keep them safe but will also be comfortable to move around in and help them carry the necessary tools to complete their task.
Below is a small list of typical safety gear you will find yourself using daily as a wind tech:
- Helmets: Navigating the tightly confined spaces of the nacelle of a wind turbine requires that you protect your head from any accidental injury during climbing up or down a wind turbine and during the repair. The helmets are designed to be strong, sturdy, and well-fitting. A good fitting helmet provides protection without obstructing the view. Some helmets also come with the option of attaching a headlight and hearing protection.
- Headlight: If your helmet doesn’t already have one or doesn’t have a space for attaching one, then an additional headlight headband is important while working in low light or at night since poor or low visibility can lead to serious injuries.
- Gloves: Working with a wind turbine means working with electrical components, electricity, and rappelling. To work well in such conditions, you need protective but flexible gloves so that you don’t lose out on any dexterity. A good glove will have added padding in the palm, reinforce high-wear areas, and be durable.
- High Visibility (Hi-Viz) Vests: You are safer on the job site if you are visible. That’s why it is important to wear reflective vests, which will ensure that you are visible even in less-favorable light conditions.
- Harness: It goes without saying that at such heights, it is impossible to work safely without a harness. It is one of the most crucial pieces of equipment for fall protection and is also helpful in climbing up and down the wind turbine.
- Lanyard: Along with a harness, a lanyard forms part of your fall protection system. They are used along with shock absorbers to protect you from the aftermath of a fall. The lanyard comes in two height options, i.e., 6ft. and 12 ft. in one and two leg formats.
- Tool lanyard: Just like a typical harness lanyard, a tool lanyard’s job is to prevent the tools from falling from a height and causing any accident and/or damage.
- Glasses &Visors: While climbing up a wind turbine, it is possible to contact dust which can irritate the eye. It is also likely that your vision is compromised from sun glare at such a height. In order to prevent any incidents resulting from compromised vision, it is essential to wear glasses and/or visors.
These are just a few examples of the safety gear that a wind tech uses. An equally important part is training for using the gear properly because even the best gear will fail if you don’t use it correctly. Of course, your physical fitness also helps in your safety while working on a wind turbine.