Worker killed by turbine blade at Golden Plains Wind Farm, Rokewood, Victoria

A sub-contractor died at the Golden Plains Wind Farm near Rokewood in Victoria, Australia on 11 November 2024 after being crushed while a turbine blade was being stored on the ground and prepared for installation. Three weeks earlier, on 26 October, a separate blade strike incident occurred during the lifting of a turbine blade, when the blade made contact with a crane boom; nobody was injured in that event. Vestas, the company responsible for constructing the project, said it had halted further lifting activities by the sub-contractor involved in the October incident pending investigation and corrective actions. Normal operations at the site were paused following the fatality. Victoria Police and WorkSafe Victoria launched investigations into the death. WorkSafe Victoria said it had conducted 117 site visits to the project and issued 22 compliance notices to a number of duty holders since March of the previous year. A neighbouring farmer had also reported in September that serrated blade parts broke off turbines in strong winds and landed on his property, after which Vestas said a 400 metre exclusion zone was placed around every turbine and blades were inspected, with the zones lifted in October.

Causes had not been determined at the time of reporting. The source records a blade strike during a lifting operation three weeks before the fatality, 22 compliance notices issued to duty holders on the project by the state regulator, and claims by the union representing the worker that it had raised concerns with the contractor about crane operations, lifting practices, housekeeping, first aid and consultation with the workforce. No causal link between these matters and the fatality has been established.

1. Near-miss incidents involving heavy lifting of large components, such as a blade contacting a crane boom, warrant immediate investigation and a review of lifting procedures across all crews on a project, not only the sub-contractor directly involved.
2. Blade storage, handling and installation are high risk activities that need clear procedures, exclusion zones and close supervision, particularly on large fast moving construction sites.
3. A pattern of regulatory compliance notices on a single project should prompt a project wide safety review rather than notice by notice responses.
4. Consultation with the workforce and its representatives on safety concerns should keep pace with the scale and speed of construction.

abc.net.au/news/2024-11-20/safety-incident-on-golden-plains-wind-fa...