Continuous Learning: Training for our Asset Managers
Turbines beklimmen, inspecteren, data analyseren, monitoren, rapporten schrijven, opbrengsten berekenen… Ons Asset Management-team doet het allemaal. “Om dit te kunnen en mogen doen, heb je natuurlijk wel een aantal trainingen nodig,” legt beheerder Richard Verhoeff uit. “Omdat veiligheid voorop staat tijdens het inspecteren, hebben we jaarlijks verschillende trainingen. De kracht zit in het herhalen.”
Safety
“In my first year at GreenTrust, I immediately had to take several training courses. You need to be authorized to enter a wind turbine. Before I obtained my GWO (Global Wind Organisation), BHV (Emergency Response), and VCA (Safety, Health and Environment Checklist Contractors) certifications, I wasn’t allowed to go up yet,” Richard explains.
The Asset Management team manages wind and solar farms. To do this, they must complete several training courses each year. Many training courses relate to safety. For example, they are required to take the GWO training every two years, which teaches you how to work safely at height, what the risks are, and how to safely rescue someone, for instance. The VCA (Safety for Operational Supervisors) must also be obtained by every manager to enter the construction site; this needs to be renewed every ten years. Apart from that, BHV training is mandatory once every two years, and at GreenTrust, we even do this annually. “Our entire team is also certified to inspect hoisting equipment and fall protection,” Richard explains. “Think of ropes, chains, and harnesses, for example. This certification must be renewed every four years.”
Naast deze vaste trainingen zijn er trainingen voor leidinggevenden, zoals de Installatie Verantwoordelijke (IV) training. GreenTrust-medewerkers Filippos Amoiralis en Senne Koetsier hebben deze een aantal jaar geleden behaald. Kazim Dinckan en Richard Verhoeff hebben de NEN3140-training gedaan, die voorafgaat aan de IV-training en gaat over veilig werken met elektriciteit. “Vorig jaar heeft ons hele team ook een evacuatortraining gehad. De evacuator is een automatisch afdalingssysteem waarmee mensen in noodgevallen snel en veilig van grote hoogtes kunnen afdalen.”
Separate Certificate for Lifts
In addition to regular safety trainings, a separate certificate is required for the use of service lifts in wind turbines. This certificate ensures that our managers are competent to inspect and use service lifts safely. They learn how to perform the daily check and how to verify if the service lift is safe for use, if the brakes are working, and if it’s in good condition. You need a certificate for each type of lift, and this must be updated once every two years.
Every Wind Farm and Every Turbine is Different
For each wind farm, our team needs an inspection method statement and must be familiar with the specific HSE rules that apply to that particular park. Moreover, each type of wind turbine is different. Therefore, our team takes specialized trainings for different manufacturers. “During these trainings, we learn, for example, how to safely shut down and start up a turbine, and how to safely enter the hub and nacelle,” Richard explains. “In every training, certain important aspects keep recurring: be risk-aware, think about each step, and discuss beforehand what you’re going to do and how you’re going to do it before entering the turbine. It’s always good to reflect on this, and of course, the power lies in repetition.”