MHI Vestas Offshore Wind Intros Safety’N’Mind

MHI Vestas Offshore Wind has created a digital safety training mobile app developed to streamline safety refresher training courses for offshore wind turbine technicians, which has been accredited by the Global Wind Organization (GWO).

Industry-first Safety’N’Mind is designed as a digital, gamified substitute for one theoretical training day. And that training needs to be refreshed every other year, which traditionally takes three full days.

“We developed the Safety’N’Mind app because we saw an opportunity to innovate within safety training,” said MHI Vestas Head of Technical & Safety Training, Elisabeth Mygind.

“In the end, we wanted to create a fun, gaming environment in which our technicians could refresh their training at their own pace, and in a way that would be most memorable. We believe this innovation adds demonstrable value to our training efforts and, ultimately, to our customers,” Mygind said.

The Safety’N’Mind mobile app, having recently received GWO accreditation, is based on micro learning, meaning that participants can experience the course in whatever way works best for them – in small doses or all in one sitting.

“The MHI Vestas digital solution to GWO refresher training is, forgive the pun, very refreshing. It incorporates new technologies towards learning and makes clever use of weather downtime in a way that seems to not only provide new efficiencies, but also increase learning,” said Jakob Lau Holst, GWO CEO.

“The value of good standardized safety training is that is helps create a common safety mindset across the supply chain, which in turn will drive higher efficiency in execution of complex projects,” Holst added.

The first-mover mobile app, launched at a recent live event at WindEurope Offshore 2019 in Copenhagen, has been audited by DNV-GL, having met the stringent requirements of the sector’s safety training courses.

Soren Hald, DNV-GL Senior Lead Auditor, said, “The GWO training is quite innovative as it combines e-learning with practical exercises. Each participant must pass a multiple-choice test prior to participating in the practical training which ensures that everyone learns the required GWO skills during the e-learning module.”

MHI Vestas’ Mygind concluded: “The safety of our technicians is paramount. And this new solution, while flexible and engaging, is focused on the serious business of safety, innovation, and optimizing the value MHI Vestas brings to every offshore wind project.”