Damaged Blade Removal

Posted 23rd May, 2023

Windtex Save The Day Once Again!

Our rope access department was put to the test recently after being called upon to complete at task which was a first for Windtex!

A wind turbine in the Nordic region suffered a catastrophic blade failure due to reasons unknown to us.

The blade had to be removed via rope access as the risk of debris falling and hitting a mobile crane was considered too high.

Safety Precautions

Thinking outside of the box

Due to the nature of the task in hand and the shear size of the turbine and blade (160mtr tower height and 80mtr blade length) risk identification and mitigation caused a lot of head scratching.

As always, Windtex do not like to let their client down and the whole team was hard at work creating the methodology.

"Although we consider Windtex a ‘Can Do’ type of company, safety is and always will be paramount and our technicians must go home safe every night!!"

Phil Turner Managing Director - Windtex

Rounded Corners vs Sharp Corners

Making the workplace safe to carry out the task

To work safely via rope access the removal of sharp edges had to be done meticulously.

As you can see from the photo, this was no simple task, it required complicated rigging methods to keep the team's ropes away from danger.

Weather Conditions

Complex Rigging

Steel lifting ropes were used to ensure that all blade debris was lowered away from the turbine and into a position of safety. The rigging of these ropes was thought out carefully and detailed drawings were supplied to the team during a full briefing session held in the UK before mobilisation.

Additional steel ropes were also rigged for the team to use as deviations to keep the abseilers away from falling debris whilst at height.

One Piece At A Time!

Another Job Well Done

Congratulations and thank you to all involved

The project was very tricky and testing for many reasons but the team did a fantastic job and the task was completed successfully. The client were also extremely pleased with the professionalism shown by all at Windtex.

Thanks to both Bens, Adam, Matthew, Sasha, Paul and James for your efforts.