Several wind companies are joining together within the Global Wind Organisation (GWO) – a nonprofit focused on providing standardized safety training and emergency procedures across the industry – to form a North American GWO committee.
Members of the new committee represent wind turbine manufacturers and owner/operators:
- Brian Walencik – GE Wind, onshore (chair)
- Gary Aucoin – Equinor
- Karl Delooff – Acciona Energia
- Adell Heneghan – E.ON Climate & Renewables
- Michael Hanson – GE Renewables , offshore
- Isabelle Le Beau – Enercon
- Autumn Lewis – The Nordex Group
- Dan Ortega – Vestas
- Geoffrey Schmidt – Siemens Gamesa
- David Yang – Ørsted
“The wind turbine industry is growing as the demand for renewable energy is accelerating,” says Walencik. “The challenge we all face is hiring qualified technicians who have recognizable safety training and technical skills so they can more efficiently and effectively help meet demand while reducing total injuries.”
A partnership of global companies, GWO is responsible for a portfolio of training standards for the wind industry. Training modules include basic safety, basic technical, advanced rescue, enhanced first aid and blade repair, with new rigger signal person training standard available Oct. 1. Training records are verified online through the GWO WINDA database, allowing companies to check the certification status of their employees and potential recruits.
