A record surge in working hours recorded in the G+ 2023 Incident Data Report
- Reported work hours increased by 39% to a staggering 61.9 million, while the major indicators for work related incidents remained steady for 2023.
2023 saw the offshore wind industry expanding rapidly throughout the world, both as a cost effect form of energy, and an essential part of the fight against climate change. This was reflected in the substantial increase in hours of work recorded among our member companies, with reported hours up by 39% to a whopping 61.9 million hours in 2023.
Reflecting on health and safety, the total recordable injury rate (TRIR) and lost time injury frequence (LTIF) (key indicators for work related incidents) have remained broadly steady. TRIR saw a very slight decline, falling by 0.1 injuries per million hours to 2.73 in 2023. Whereas LTIF increased by 0.04 lost time injuries per million hours to 1.07. Overall, we saw 1273 non-hazard observation incidents in 2023, a 60% increase from 2022.
The top 5 most incident prone work areas…
- Jack-up vessel/barges and SOVs were by far the largest sources of incidents in 2023, with both areas consisting of 14% of all incidents,
- Followed by CTVs with 7%,
- Incidents in the turbine’s nacelle with 6%, and
- Incidents in the transition piece/boat landing area of the turbine accounting for 5%.
What about work processes?
- Lifting operations had the largest proportion of incidents, at 14%,
- Vessel operations (including those on jack-ups and barges) formed 11%,
- Manual handling at 8%,
- Hand tools/power tools at 7%, and
- Operating plant and machinery at 5%.
Diving further into the data revealed key categories with an unusually large spike in incidents over 2023. For instance, vessel incidents saw an overall increase across the board, growing by 126% over the year for jack-up vessel/barge incidents and 209% for SOV - more than tripling! Incidents on offshore substations were also reported over twice as often, rising by 108%. Finally, onshore turbine assembly incidents saw substantial increases, rising 75% higher than in 2022.
Considering actual consequences over 2023, incidents resulting in asset damage represented 30% of incidents in 2023, compared to 20% in 2022, while restricted workday injuries saw a proportional decrease, falling from 5% of all incidents in 2022 to 3% of all incidents in 2023. The proportion of lost workdays also fell, with 6% of incidents resulting in lost workdays back in 2022, but only 5% in 2023.
Overall, the data reflects an industry progressing through its growing pains, as projects move from development into construction. Throughout this journey, the G+ will continue delivering world-class health and safety performance in the offshore wind industry.
To read the full report and access our full dataset through our dashboard, please visit the statistics area of our website, at Health and safety statistics | G+ Offshore Wind Health and Safety Organisation (gplusoffshorewind.com)