The European association of abnormal road transport and mobile cranes (ESTA) has been asked to support a European Commission study to “explore health, safety and environment (HSE) best practice in the wind power sector”.
Called the Wind Harmony project, a consortium led by eclareon, the Renewables Consulting Group (RCG) and WindEurope will examine HSE standards in construction, operation and maintenance and decommissioning for both onshore and offshore wind farm sites.
The European Commission wants to understand the potential benefits of aligning HSE standards across Europe, and in the process lay the foundations for effective global standards for wind energy projects.
ESTA, meanwhile, is progressing with its own draft version of a best practice guide for the safe erection and transport of onshore wind turbines. The association plans to publish the first draft at its autumn meeting in Piacenza, Italy.
The ESTA guide is being produced with support from both the German engineering association VDMA and FEM (the European Materials Handling Federation).
