Media releases

New data published today by the G+ Global Offshore Wind Health and Safety Organisation, based at the Energy Institute, outlines a mixed picture in the 2023 Incident Data report as the industry’s operations grow and mature.

Members of G+ - comprising the biggest offshore wind operators and wind turbine OEMs globally - reported 1,679 incidents in 2023, a 94% increase from 2022.

With the key safety metrics of Total Recordable Injury Rate (TRIR) and Lost Time Injury Frequency (LTIF) remaining broadly steady compared to previous years, the increase was partly driven by the 17.3 million additional operational hours worked by G+ members in 2023.

Given the increase in reported incidents, the importance of joint action to improve health and safety performance cannot be understated. G+ members continue to work collectively to drive good practice and promote world-class safety performance, engaging operational personnel through initiatives such as the G+ Technician Innovation Challenge, to mitigate hazards on sites.

Promisingly, despite the increase in number of incidents overall, the percentage of high potential incidents more than halved, falling to 11% of total incidents in 2023.

Tragically a fatality occurred on an onshore turbine assembly this year. G+ members continue to keep the family, colleagues and friends of the deceased individual in their thoughts and at the forefront of the important work they are doing to minimise the risk of further casualties.

Commenting on the report, G+ Chair and Head of Health and Safety at SSE Renewables David Griffiths said:

“2024 is all about collaboration. Ensuring our industry continues to build upon the progress made over the past decade requires a sector-wide effort.

“While a headline increase in total recorded incidents is cause for concern, G+ has redoubled its efforts to engage frontline workers and mitigate hazards on site, and I’m pleased to see a genuine step change in the reporting culture across several key metrics.

“Through the G+, global operators and WTG OEMs look to share the experiences we have had to date with the markets that are newer to offshore wind development so that together we can learn and improve health and safety. From governments to trade organisations to frontline workers, everybody has a part to play.”

Energy Institute Chief Executive Dr Nick Wayth CEng FEI added:

“The Incident Data report shows we cannot be complacent when it comes to mitigating health and safety risks at every stage of project development.

“As the offshore wind industry continues to ramp up and play an increasing role in our energy mix, the work of G+ has never been so crucial.”

The G+ work programme continues to be led and informed by industry incident data. While lifting operations continue to be the main work process with potential for incidents, vessel operations (including jack-ups and barges) and routine maintenance have become new areas of focus as major projects get underway.

Work continues, in cooperation with the International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA), to reduce incidents in these areas, following on from previous joint work on boat landings, immersion suits and more recently, gangway operations.

Key figures from the 2023 Incident Data report are:

1,679 incidents and injuries were recorded, distributed in the following areas:

• 1,049 on construction sites
• 560 on an operation site
• 67 on a development site
• 3 incidents occurred outside of any site type

These incidents include:

• 1 fatality
• 65 lost work day injuries
• 70 medical treatment injuries
• 33 restricted work day injuries
• 31 injuries requiring emergency response and medical evacuation

The top three work processes are:

• 207 Incidents during lifting operations
• 169 incidents during vessel operations
• 109 incidents during routine maintenance

Setup in partnership with the Energy Institute, G+ works internationally to tackle health and safety issues in the industry through four main work programmes: incident data reporting, good practice guidelines, safe by design and learning from incidents.

The G+ Offshore Wind Health and Safety Organisation comprises twelve leading operators and WTG OEMs: bp, Corio Generation, EDF Renewables, Equinor, Iberdrola, Ocean Winds, Ørsted, RWE, Siemens Gamesa, SSE, TotalEnergies, Vattenfall – as well as an expanding array of associate members.

With expanding operations in the Asia Pacific and North American regions, G+ is continuing to utilise the lessons learned from high potential incidents that occurred during the early stages of offshore wind in Europe to develop good practice guidelines, in multiple languages, to support safe offshore wind operations in these regions.

The year ahead will be about delivering on the workstreams that the G+ has underway, such as a lifting framework, manual handling videos and transfer methods, whilst also ensuring that published work, such as the onshore civils and small service vessel good practices, are being fully embedded on sites.

As part of the drive to ensure lessons learned from these incidents are made freely available, G+ is continuing to make safety incident lessons available through Toolbox, the Energy Institute’s free-to-use incident lessons platform.

Notes for editors

1. For media enquiries, please contact Neil Michie on 020 7467 7132 or nmichie@energyinst.org
2. The 2023 Incident Data Report is available to view at: https://www.gplusoffshorewind.com/work-programme/workstreams/statistics
3. G+ is the global health and safety organisation for the offshore wind industry.
   The Energy Institute provides the secretariat and supports the ongoing work of the G+.
   We bring together business leaders, health and safety experts and organisations operating in the offshore wind industry to drive good practice and promote world-class safety performance across the sector.
   Through an evidence based approach, we ensure key emerging risks are mitigated through co-operation and shared learnings, aiming for the highest levels of health and safety standards being pursued throughout the life cycle of offshore wind farms.
   We engage on important industry matters by facilitating discussion and bringing together industry stakeholders to speak with one voice for the offshore wind industry.
4. The Energy Institute (EI) is the chartered professional membership body for people who work across the world of energy.
   Our purpose is creating a better energy future for our members and society by accelerating a just global energy transition to net zero.
   We do this by attracting, developing and equipping the diverse future energy workforce; informing energy decision-making through convening expertise and advice; and enabling industry to make energy lower carbon, safer and more efficient.