Schools aren’t the only ones in the training game. Siemens, a manufacturer of wind turbines, is one of several manufacturers with its own internal programs to help its employees get a mix of on-site and in-class technical and safety training. The company services turbines for a few years after installing them (the length of time varies from farm to farm) and most recently completed its sixth Canadian project near Morris, Man., with 60 turbines that began operation in December 2010.

There is a core set of training all Siemens personnel must take prior to working on their turbines. The company also offers qualification levels, which range from one to seven.

Their first two levels of training incorporate internal best practices with common safety training modules, including first aid, CPR and defibrillation; region-specific health, safety and environmental (HSE) compliance; fundamental turbine operations; training specific to Siemens’ wind turbine HSE procedures; basic harness and climb training; and rescue and evacuation from the tower and nacelle.

“Based on the individual’s specific job responsibilities — such as installation, maintenance, commissioning or troubleshooting — additional task-specific training both in a formal training environment or as part of our on-the-job competency tracking program is required,” explains Jim Keegan, Siemens’ service project manager.

A technician or engineer that has completed the Level 7 test and competency portions of the program will be authorized to troubleshoot, commission and maintain the specific wind turbine model they are qualified on and also perform competency evaluations on lesser qualified personnel.

One key factor technicians must consider is wind speed, and Siemens has very specific allowances for what type of work can be done. “Work is permitted at wind speeds up to 12 metres per second (m/s),” Keegan says. “For wind speeds above 12 m/s, no work is permitted outside the nacelle. For wind speeds above 18 m/s, work is permitted in the nacelle but with the covers closed and no work in the hub is permitted.” However, once wind speeds hit above 24 m/s, “no work is permitted.”

When workers are maintaining equipment hundreds of feet above the ground, they are also at the mercy of the elements, be it extreme hot or cold. This, Keegan says, is taken into consideration, too: “We use detailed tables that take into account temperature, humidity, wind chill and environment to determine the allowed working conditions, required breaks when work is permitted and recommended fluid consumption.”

For those interested in this line of work, the company is hiring and currently accepts applications from graduates from the various technical colleges beginning to provide certificates or degrees in wind turbine technology. And not a moment too soon. In Canada, wind farms are popping up everywhere, with Siemens involved in a couple projects contracted for completion in 2011: the Greenwich Wind Energy Project near Thunder Bay, Ont., (99 MW) and the Comber Wind Limited Partnership Project in Essex County, Ont. (165.6 MW).