Media releases

Throughout this period, the industry’s focus on health and safety remained resolute, with the 2020 G+ Incident Data Report highlighting the lowest number of high potential incidents since 2015, as well as a 19% reduction in high potential incidents and injuries from 2019.

2020 also saw the lowest number of recordable injuries, with less than 100 recordable injuries occurring for the first time since G+ benchmarking began. G+ and its members remain vigilant however, with lifting operations and high potential hazards during working at height both remaining areas of concerted effort and attention.

Commenting on the report, G+ Chair and Vice President of Safety, Security and Sustainability, Equinor Renewables, Tove Lunde said:

“The real progress industry achieved last year in its safety performance is testament to the hard work of G+ and its members.

“G+ has continued to demonstrate its global leadership by bringing industry together to deliver demonstrable change and reduce injury frequency, despite an unparalleled year.

“While this progress is welcome, G+ is uncompromising in its focus on maintaining industry safety, particularly as we emerge into a post-COVID world and offshore wind capacity continues to expand.”

Nick Wayth CEng FEI, Chief Executive of the Energy Institute, home to the G+ secretariat, commented:

“As the deployment of offshore wind soars, we must always have the safety of the growing workforce as the main priority. Working in marine environments and at height pose a particular challenge, so this new data is reassuring.

“The EI is particularly pleased this past year to start bringing the incident data to life through Toolbox, our web app which puts bitesize incident lessons in the hands of those on the front line who need it.”

Setup in partnership with the Energy Institute, G+ works 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.

G+ member companies submit incident data on a quarterly basis, which are then anonymised for analysis by the Energy Institute. The publication of the incident data is a crucial step in ensuring information is provided transparently and openly, to benchmark and aid the overall offshore wind industry’s health and safety performance.

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 burgeoning regions.

Notes for editors

1. For media enquiries contact Neil Michie on 020 7467 7132 or nmichie@energyinst.org
2. The G+ 2020 Incident Data can report can be viewed here.
3. Toolbox is a free-to-use safety incident lessons app, run by the Energy Institute. G+ is continuing to make safety incident lessons available through Toolbox, which can be viewed here: https://ei-toolbox.org/Gplus
4. 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 organizations 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.