Member Article

Wind turbine tower workers get defib protection

Workers at a remote wind turbine tower manufacturer are now protected in the event of a sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) after a defibrillator was installed at the facility in Campbeltown, Argyll.

The Wind Towers (Scotland) Ltd site, which is located 7 miles from the nearest town, has installed a class leading Powerheart G5 automated external defibrillator (AED) from Cardiac Science to protect its workforce and visitors.

Established in 2011, Wind Towers (Scotland) Ltd manufactures wind turbine towers for several wind turbine manufacturers such as Siemens and Vestas as well as end customers such as SSE and Scottish Power. The 18.25 hectare site comprises 3 tower production buildings, a surface treatment facility, a tower fitting out facility, a storage warehouse and a steel yard/tower storage area.

Several US studies suggest that if a rescuer can provide defibrillation in the first minute, the victim’s chance of survival increases to more than 90%. However, each minute that passes will decrease the victim’s chance of survival by 7–10% if no defibrillation is provided.

Health & Safety Manager, Stuart McTaggart, said: “We can have over 150 people on site at any time, and with at least a 15 minute journey by road, emergency services would struggle to attend an SCA in time.

“Our staff and visitors can now have peace of mind that we are prepared for an emergency.”

Cardiac Science Managing Director, Shaun Ingram, said that the device would help save lives: “Stuart and his team have been proactive in installing a Powerheart G5 AED at the site. Minutes count in the event of an SCA, and their G5 will provide everyone with the assurance that should the worst happen, they can now deal with the situation until the emergency services arrive.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by James Welton .