Safety at the heart of Hornsea 3 offshore wind project

With thousands of people working on the enormous £8.5 billion infrastructure project, safety is Ørsted’s number one priority.

Health and safety comes first

Phaedra Pritchard is the director of quality, health, safety and environment (QHSE) for the Hornsea 3 offshore wind project. Her team is responsible for making sure no harm is caused by the construction of Hornsea 3.

“My role is to ensure that the project thinks about physical and mental safety first, prior to doing any work,” said Phaedra. “Health and safety is at the forefront of everything that we do.”

She explained that this applies to Ørsted employees and contractors working on the project, as well as the wider community in which they operate.

“We want the community to feel that they’re included and enriched by the project,” said Phaedra. “We want them to understand what we’re doing, why we’re doing it and feel their voices are heard. We are doing everything possible to mitigate the impact that construction could have.”

Phaedra Pritchard, director of QHSE for Hornsea 3 (centre) on a safety walk with Luke Bridgman, Hornsea 3’s managing director (second from left) and other team members (Image: Ørsted)

Proactive planning and communication

On an engineering project as large and complex as Hornsea 3, planning and communication with the local community is critical.

Ørsted aims to be proactive in its communications to Norfolk residents and businesses about the various stages of the project – from construction updates to explaining the results of archaeological studies along the onshore cable route.

For example, the company recognises that transporting equipment such as large cable drums on Norfolk’s small roads with the help of a police escort can create an inconvenience by causing extra traffic.

However, it is essential to prevent drivers of large vehicles from going down a wrong road and potentially causing a road traffic collision.

“We acknowledge the inconvenience this causes, but it is more important to prevent the public or people working on the project getting hurt,” said Phaedra.

Industry leaders

Ørsted is determined to improve safety not only for its own projects, but for the larger offshore wind industry.

The company helped develop an immersive safety training programme called ‘Thrive’ in partnership with training specialist Active Training Team.

The full-day programme uses actors and multi-media to put trainees right in the centre of the build-up to a serious incident and its tragic aftermath. The unforgettable experience demands that trainees challenge how decisions get made at all levels – regardless of managerial hierarchy.

In a dramatic and memorable way, the course reminds participants that they need to take responsibility for their own safety and recognise that their actions have consequences on others.

The award-winning safety programme has been widely adopted by the offshore wind industry and has helped to create “a universal language around safety” that’s beneficial to everyone, said Phaedra. That includes mental health as well as physical safety and well-being.

“Our leadership team definitely believes that all incidents are preventable if we give people the right tools, the right training and the right space to make clear, good decisions.”

‘We care’

At the end of the day, it all comes down to caring about people and the community.

“We work the way we work because we care not only about delivering the project but because we care about people,” said Phaedra.

For more information, visit hornseaproject3.co.uk

This article is part of the LOCALiQ Clean & Green campaign, which aims to promote our region as the biggest in the UK and Europe for all forms of renewable energy.