There is no shortage of information on hand about how the United States’ transition to clean and renewable energy spells good fortune for the environment and health of citizens who regularly use that energy. But one aspect frequently overlooked – the health and safety of workers in the energy industry – now has data to show that wind power’s safety benefits extend to the people who help to construct and maintain wind farms.

A study with North Carolina ties provides the good news for clean energy workers. The paper, co-authored by Steven Sumner of the Medical Center at Duke University and Peter Layde, co-director of the Injury Research Center at the Medical College of Wisconsin and a professor in the school’s Department of Population Health, weighs the health hazards posed by working on fossil fuels versus three clean energy sources – wind, solar and biomass. Wind energy work was judged safer than work in fossil fuels.

So what made wind power exceed fossil fuels’ safety record? The latter calls for mining, an industry that more frequently faces risk than the construction operations associated with building and establishing wind turbines and other items needed to generate wind power. In fact, the report notes that if the proliferation of renewable energy sources continues, as many as 1,300 workers’ deaths might be avoided within a decade. And 700,000 of those working in the energy sector might reap the health benefits of the United States’ continued expansion into renewable energy.

The study on workers’ health is the latest piece of good news for the offshore wind industry, which enjoys a number of benefits – reduced waste output, less impact on natural resources and improved environmental impact. The report’s findings, however, will not translate without public support for the transition to greater reliance upon clean energy sources like offshore wind.

The improved health and safety conditions associated with clean energy sources, such as wind power, contribute to Outer Banks Ocean Energy Corporation’s (OBOE) excitement in moving forward with our offshore wind farm. Our plans call for extensive testing and safety measures in order to ensure that risk to our workers and to the environment are greatly reduced. We recognize the value of providing a health and safety benefit not only to the North Carolinians who use power generated from our offshore wind farm, but also to the people who work to make our project possible.

For more information on Outer Banks Ocean Energy Corporation, contact us at media@oboec.com.