Human Factors in Onshore and Offshore Wind: A Scoping Review.

As the global wind energy sector continues to expand, ensuring the safety, health, and performance of the workforce responsible for operating and maintaining wind turbines is increasingly important. In this paper, Roberts and Flin examine the human factors that influence wind technician performance in both onshore and offshore environments, where workers routinely face challenging conditions including adverse weather, remote working locations, fatigue, seasickness, and demanding shift patterns.

Through a comprehensive scoping review of the available evidence, the study identified 13 peer-reviewed research articles and eight sources from the grey literature relating to human factors in the wind industry. It identified 13 key human factors grouped into four categories: individual, crew/team, organisational, and task/environmental. The review synthesises current knowledge and highlights the psychological, social, organisational, and environmental factors that can affect both safety and operational effectiveness.

Based on these findings, the paper proposes a preliminary human factors framework for the wind industry, providing a structured approach to understanding the complex interactions that shape worker safety, health, and performance. The study highlights the need for further research in this area and offers valuable insights for industry practitioners seeking to develop evidence-based interventions that support a safer, healthier, and more resilient wind energy workforce.

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