Resources for Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)

Oregon OSHA Releases Findings In Wind Turbine Collapse

www.nawindpower.com

The Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services, Occupational Safety and Health Division (Oregon OSHA) has fined Siemens Power Generation Inc. a total of $10,500 for safety violations related to an Aug. 25, 2007, wind turbine tower collapse that killed one worker and injured another.

The event took place at the Klondike III Wind Farm near Wasco, where three wind technicians were performing maintenance on a wind turbine tower. After applying a service brake to stop the blades from moving, one of the workers entered the hub of the turbine. He then positioned all three blades to the maximum wind resistance position and closed all three energy isolation devices on the blades.

The devices are designed to control the mechanism that directs the blade pitch so workers don't get injured while they are working in the hub. Before leaving the confined space, the worker did not return the energy isolation devices to the operational position. As a result, when he released the service brake, wind energy on the out-of-position blades caused an "overspeed" condition, causing one of the blades to strike the tower and the tower to collapse, the Oregon OSHA investigation found.

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