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Safety at heights and underground - How does the approach to PPE differ in the wind and mining industries?
Although the wind and mining industries function in completely different environments, they share one thing - working in conditions where there is virtually no margin for error. Nevertheless, the approach to safety and the use of PPE in each sector looks quite different. Why?
Imagine two workplaces. The first is the top of a wind turbine nacelle, hundreds of metres above the ground, where a technician – under blazing sun or lashing rain – battles time pressure and isolation
The second is a dark, wet mineshaft, a thousand metres below the surface, where a shaft crew moves around in the light of their headlamps, surrounded by pipelines and high-voltage cables.
Two completely different worlds, yet connected by one overriding rule: an absolute need for trust PPE and procedures, because every mistake can cost lives.
Although, working at height is intuitively associated with the wind industry, the perspective shifts when we look at mining through the eyes of experienced specialists. Radosław Janson, PPE inspector and advisor at windhunter_academy, highlights the scale of the challenges associated with working in underground shafts:
“We talk about working at height, but in mines, it is actually working at depths that often exceed 1,000 metres. The deepest shaft in Poland is 1,348 metres – it is as if we flipped ten massive wind turbines upside down and dug them into the ground. The threats are the same: falls, falling objects, slips, and the consequences of accidents in shafts are usually tragic.”
Both environments are extreme, yet it’s the wind industry that has developed global safety standards, resulting in fewer accidents and greater risk awareness. Where does this difference stem from?
Key differences in PPE
As usual, the devil is in the details – in this case, in the approach to Personal Protective Equipment. In the wind industry, every piece of equipment used by technicians must be internationally certified. This is not just a formal requirement, but the foundation of a culture of safety.
"Wind turbine technicians use top-quality PPE that meets not only European standards such as CE EN 361, but often also with American ANSI or Canadian CSA standards. This ensures that harnesses, Y-lanyards with shock absorbers and vertical fall arrest systems will work reliably,"– explains Janson.
In mining, the situation looks different. The focus is on national regulations, and the equipment meets European standards, which ensures a basic level of safety – however, as Janson points out, the difference in performance and design is noticeable.
“A shaft worker receives equipment compliant with the CE EN 361 standard – most often this is a basic harness and a single lanyard with an absorber. It meets the requirements, but compared to the advanced systems used in wind energy sector, the difference is significant.”
Both environments are extreme, yet it’s the wind industry that has developed global safety standards, resulting in fewer accidents and greater risk awareness. Where does this difference stem from?
Key differences in PPE
As usual, the devil is in the details – in this case, in the approach to Personal Protective Equipment. In the wind industry, every piece of equipment used by technicians must be internationally certified. This is not just a formal requirement, but the foundation of a culture of safety.
"Wind turbine technicians use top-quality PPE that meets not only European standards such as CE EN 361, but often also with American ANSI or Canadian CSA standards. This ensures that harnesses, Y-lanyards with shock absorbers and vertical fall arrest systems will work reliably,"– explains Janson.
In mining, the situation looks different. The focus is on national regulations, and the equipment meets European standards, which ensures a basic level of safety – however, as Janson points out, the difference in performance and design is noticeable.
“A shaft worker receives equipment compliant with the CE EN 361 standard – most often this is a basic harness and a single lanyard with an absorber. It meets the requirements, but compared to the advanced systems used in wind energy sector, the difference is significant.”
GWO training vs WHO training in mining
The biggest gap between these two industries is evident in their approach to training. In mining, onboarding is based on andatory introductory training, which includes general and job-specific instruction as well as a review of the risk assessment. Preventive measures are often reactive in nature.
“During briefings at the mine, known as felezunki, recent accidents from other sites are discussed as cautionary tales. This is an important practice, but it remains theoretical. There is a lack of regular, hands-on training in the use of fall protection equipment for ordinary crews. Such exercises are mainly conducted for specialised high-altitude rescue units, such as the Central Mining Rescue Station (CSRG) in Bytom," – notes Janson.
Meanwhile, the wind industry relies on GWO (Global Wind Organisation) standards, where theory is only an introduction to ntensive practice. Training courses emphasize realistic scenarios and advanced rescue techniques for working at heights.
Centres such as windhunter_academy regularly organise Safety Drills – emergency exercises often conducted in cooperation with emergency services. Their objective is to ensure that technicians not only know what to do in an emergency, but are also able to react instinctively under pressure.
The role of certification and standardization
Global standardization by GWO has become one of the key factors in shaping a safety culture in wind sector. Thanks to this, employers and technicians around the world speak the same language – sharing procedures and equipment standards.
Although the mining industry is also upgrading its gear, the process is slower - mainly due to complex infrastructure and a deeply rooted national regulations.
Certification, however, remains a common denominator: it is not a goal itself, but a tool that builds trust and predictability where human lives are at stake.
At the core – the human factor
Whether we are talking about working at heights or underground, people are always at the centre. Their safety depends on the quality of the equipment, but even more on their skills and awareness.
It is global standards, consistent certification and an emphasis on practical training that have enabled the wind industry to reach one of the highest levels of personal safety today. The key lies in building awareness and responsibility among employees from the very beginning of their careers – before they climb their first wind turbine or start working at heights.
Ultimately, investing in high-quality PPE and realistic training is not a cost, but a protection for the most valuable capital – human life, health, and trust within the team.
- Radosław Janson
Project "Establishment and support for the function of the Coastal Industry Skills Centre in the field of renewable energy (wind power), implementing the concept of centres of vocational excellence (CoVEs)".
We invite you to attend courses and training sessions in the field of renewable energy (wind power), which will be held at the Seaside Industry Skills Centre in Lębork at Wojska Polskiego 31 Street.
The courses and trainings are organised by Lębork County in partnership with Polish Chamber of Offshore Wind Energy and Windhunter Academy Sp. z o.o.
The target is aimed at the following target groups:
- young people – a young person is aged between 14 and 24 (inclusive) and is also a pupil or student, i.e. a learner, this target group is divided into two subgroups:
- pupils - - the minimum number of hours of education in vocational training should be at least 15 hours.
- students - the minimum number of hours of education in vocational training should be at least 30 hours, in accordance with the Regulation of the Minister of Education and Science of 6 October 2023 on continuing education in non-school forms.
- adults (excluding vocational teachers) - persons aged 25 (inclusive) to 64 (inclusive). Adults may participate in a minimum 30-hour training course or a 120-hour course.
- vocational education teachers – teachers must participate in at least 15 hours of training.
- pupils - - the minimum number of hours of education in vocational training should be at least 15 hours.
- students - the minimum number of hours of education in vocational training should be at least 30 hours, in accordance with the Regulation of the Minister of Education and Science of 6 October 2023 on continuing education in non-school forms.
Adults up to the age of 24, i.e. persons of legal age who are not pupils or students, are not eligible to participate in courses and trainings under this project.
The documents are available at https://www.powiat-lebork.com in the news section and in the tab county office/projects/industry skill centre/
The set of recruitment documents (original/scan/photocopy) should be submitted in one of the following forms:
- at the headquarters of the Coastal Industry Skills Centre in Lębork at Wojska Polskiego 31 Street, the office of the CKZ manager (in person or by post)
- to the e-mail address ckz-bcu@pce.lebork.pl (scan)
The educational offer specified in the project guidelines is as follows:
| Type of support | Target group | Number of hours | Document issued at the end |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vocational Training | adults, including students up to 24 years | 30 hours | Vocational Skills Certificate |
| Course | adults | 120 hours | Vocational Skills Certificate |
| Vocational Training | young people - pupils | 15 hours | Vocational Skills Certificate |
| Industry training | teachers | 15 hours | Certificate of completion of industry training |
Below are links to the statute and downloadable forms:
- Ewelina Frank
Project: KPO/22/1//BCU/U/0019 Field: Renewable energy (wind power) Project title: "Establishment and support for the function of the a Coastal Industry Skills Centre in the field of renewable energy (wind power) implementing the concept of centres of vocational excellence (CoVEs)" Final beneficiary of the support: Lębork County Programme: National Recovery and Resilience Plan
Center of Vocational Education (BCU) for Wind Energy in Lębork
In 2024, a new type of institution began to appear on the map of vocational education centers in Poland
— the Centers of Vocational Education (Branżowe Centra Umiejętności, BCU). These centers, located alongside vocational schools that serve the needs of specific industries, are designed to expand the educational offering of these institutions. While they are formally established by local governments, they are created with strong support from industry partners — ensuring high-quality training and an effective process of certification and validation.
The program covers 120 sectors that are both crucial to Poland’s economy and significantly affected by workforce shortages. Wind energy is one of the sectors included.
The need for a formal qualification in this area has been raised by stakeholders for many years. Employers, labor offices, and training centers have all long emphasized the urgency of standardizing requirements for candidates applying for positions in wind power environments. However, it was only with the launch of offshore wind farm construction in the Polish part of the Baltic Sea — and the resulting deepening of the employment crisis — that the government was compelled to act.
The concept behind BCU is simple: adults are given the opportunity to quickly gain a profession through specialized training and a certification and validation process. Importantly, the core of the BCU model is not skill development but skill recognition.> Training is not the primary component of the process — it is just one of the possible paths toward certification.
To ensure a high-quality validation process that aligns with employer expectations, the government entrusted the development of the Wind Energy BCU to two of the most experienced organizations in the sector: Windhunter Academy Sp. z o.o. and the Polish Offshore Wind Energy Society (PIMEW). Windhunter Academy is internationally recognized and the largest wind energy training center in Poland (covering both onshore and offshore sectors). PIMEW, in turn, brings together Polish companies involved in offshore wind, representing the potential employers of BCU graduates.
The Wind Energy BCU will be located in Lębork, alongside the local Center for Vocational Education. Training is set to begin in September 2025. The first group (260 participants) will be trained under the program, and the only costs participants will incur are related to transport and accommodation. Most training groups will operate in the afternoons and on weekends, making the program accessible to students, vocational teachers, and working adults.
- Ewelina Frank