HSE issues safety notice on wind turbine service lifts

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has published a safety notice concerning service lifts in offshore and onshore wind turbine.

Service lifts in offshore and onshore wind turbines

This safety notice has arisen after a wind turbine technician suffered serious injuries when his hand was trapped between fixed and moving parts of a service lift. The worker was able to place his hand into an aperture whilst sending the service lift down using the "one touch to operate" external controls. The external controls were positioned on the moving parts, and the design of the landing gates and associated guarding did not stop him reaching the moving lift car which crushed his hand against the gate.

The HSE found that:

• the design of the base and the upper-level landing gates and associated guarding of a service lift in a wind turbine did not prevent access to the moving lift car;
• it was possible to reach the moving lift car and become crushed or sheared by it against the rigid portions of the gate;
• there was a failure to follow the established standard for reach distances (BS EN ISO 13857) which meant the external controls were not situated in a position of sufficient distance from the danger zone.

Standards and legislation

An absence of defined industry standards for the safe design of service lifts within wind turbines has resulted in discrepancies in the application of required safeguards by designers and manufacturers. Hazards from the design, guarding, and positioning of controls should be identified and addressed by manufacturers or suppliers.

A new standard "BS EN 81-44 - Safety rules for the construction and installation of lifts. Special lifts for the transport of persons and goods. Part 44. Lifting appliances in wind turbines" is due to be published which sets the benchmark for the safe design of service lifts and associated safeguards.

The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER) SI 1998/2306 requires employers to ensure that measures are taken to prevent access to dangerous parts of machinery.

Action required

Duty holders who operate wind turbines, and employers of persons who operate or undertake maintenance activities on such wind turbines, should:

• immediately check the the design of gates, associated guarding, and the position of the external controls of lifts in use;
• if existing guarding or the position of the external guards is in inadequate, reposition controls and/or install sufficient guarding, and either withdraw lifts from use or implement short term suitable control measures to mitigate risks until this work is complete.

Control measures can allow short-term continued use of the lift until the repositioning of the external controls and/or the installation of additional guarding can be completed.

Manufacturers and suppliers:

• should help duty holders who operate lifts, or employers or users of lifts, that you have supplied to eliminate these hazards;
• must ensure that all lifts supplied to the UK satisfy the essential health and safety requirements as required by the Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations SI 2008/1597;
• should refer to the new BS EN 81-44 standard when undertaking the conformity assessment process when it is published.

For more information on this subject, see:

• Service lifts in offshore and onshore wind turbines;
• BS EN 81-44 Safety rules for the construction and installation of lifts - Special lifts for the transport of persons and goods. - Part 44: Lifting appliances in wind turbines.