Difference between Dutch and German wind guidelines
In our blog Safety Requirements in the Wind Industry we have written about the legislation and requirements from clients for working within the Dutch wind industry. Many of our clients also work within the German wind industry. The guidelines and requirements for working within the German market differ from the Dutch guidelines. In this article we explain the differences and the requirements you must meet. This will allow you to be well prepared for working within both the Dutch and German wind industry.
Guidelines by industry
As previously stated in our blog, we have as an umbrella legislation for all employers in the Netherlands the Occupational Health and Safety Act. This law focuses specifically on the safety and health of employees. Then there is a further elaboration of this arbowet in the arbo decree and arbo regulations. This can simply be seen as a further elaboration of the overarching Occupational Health and Safety Act. To give the industry tools for following the laws and regulations and mitigating risks, there is a health and safety catalog for many industries, including the wind industry. This health and safety catalog provides management measures for a lot of the risks that exist in the industry. However, currently, in many cases, the GWO standard guides the training of personnel in the wind industry. Many clients choose to require the GWO training for personnel, who work on or near a wind turbine. The Dutch Health and Safety Catalog does not discuss the period of validity of certificates. In Germany, the above basically applies as well. The German occupational health and safety law is the Arbeits Shutzgesetz. Also in the German wind industry, most clients follow the GWO guidelines (on training).
Period of validity of certificate
However, there is a big difference between the period of validity of the certificate, which many clients in Germany require of persons working on or at a wind turbine compared to clients in the Netherlands. The working at height certification and first aid certification often cannot be older than one year. This while the GWO has set the validity period of these certificates at two years. So where does this come from?
Just as we have and follow the abo catalog in the Netherlands, in Germany they use different guidelines. For example, in the area of working at height. The directive used for this is the DGUV 198 directive. This directive is made for safe working at heights and the DGUV 199 directive is made for safe rescue at heights. These guidelines recommend that working at heights should be repeated every year. Thus, clients requiring this annual repetition requirement from contractors comes in many cases from this German directive.
WINDA registration
In order to check the validity of your certificate, you need to register with GWO WINDA(Wind Industry Database). You can do this as follows:
Go to the WINDA website and click on 'Register' and then on 'Delegate Registration'. Once you have entered your details, you will receive an activation code by e-mail. This activation code is valid for 48 hours. When you activate it and enter a password, you will receive a confirmation e-mail. Your WINDA ID will also appear at the top right of the screen. You will need this WINDA ID if you want to register a certificate. -> How can you check the validity period?
You can only attend a refresher or follow-up training if you can show a valid basic certificate. If you would like to book a refresher training with us, please email your WINDA ID to us prior to the start date of the training. If you do not have your WINDA ID, you can send us a copy of your basic certificate.
Medical Examinations
DELTA Safety Training also offers the possibility of a pre-training medical examination for people working in the wind industry. The type of examination required depends on the age of the employee. From an age of 40 years or older the examination is extended with an exercise test.
The examination is carried out by a NOGEPA accredited medical examiner and is valid for 2 years. See the overview of our medical examinations.
Do you have any questions after reading this blog article? Please contact us via the contact form below!