Human factors in onshore and offshore wind: a scoping review

A safe, healthy and competent workforce in the wind power industry is essential for meeting climate goals and energy needs. Wind technicians conduct critical tasks on wind turbines often in remote, hazardous environments in onshore and offshore locations. However, industry incident data indicate safety concerns in relation to operations and maintenance work. Despite behavioural issues significantly contributing to these wind incidents, the limited human factors research in the wind sector typically focuses on design and physiology. A scoping review was carried out to examine the psychological and organisational factors that impact on wind technician safety, health, and performance. In total, 13 research articles examining human factors in wind were identified, as well as 8 items from the grey literature. A preliminary framework was developed encompassing individual, crew/team, organisational factors, and task and environmental factors. This framework can be used to direct future research and assist practitioners to design effective interventions.