July 15, 2013
Germany

Diver killed on Riffgat offshore wind farm

15 July 2013 by James Quilter | Windpower Monthly | www.windpowermonthly.com

A diver has been killed during the construction of EWE and Enova’s 108MW Riffgat wind farm in the German North Sea.

It is the third death of a diver on a German offshore wind farm since 2010.

According to reports, the British diver was working on concrete bases designed to tie cables down to the seabed. The incident occurred in 20-metre-deep waters.

While wind industry on job deaths per MW installed have been in steady decline in recent years, casualties remain higher offshore. Also, as with other industries, diving remains a high-risk occupation.

In May last year, another British diver suffered a heart attack at Germany’s Alpha Ventus project.

In 2010, another diver asphyxiated when his oxygen supply failed on the transformer platform of the German-developed Bard offshore wind plant in the North Sea.

The Chinese wind industry has the most dubious health and safety record after incurring eight deaths out of a global total of 12 last year. In 2011, eight out of 11 workplace deaths occurred in China.

[rest of article available at source]

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/07/15/diver-killed-on-riffgat-offshore-wind-farm/