Photo by Tuey.
The roughnecks who straddle throbbing nacelles 150 feet in the air, one hand on a safety rope and the other gnarly with gearbox lubricant, are about to get the reality show (episode) they deserve, thanks to the Weather Channel. What happens when people stop being polite and start climbing around on giant, dangerous machinery?
The show, Turbine Cowboys, is part of the series “Braving the Elements,” which is about workers whose jobs force them to cope with extreme weather. This episode tells the stories of a bunch of men and women “who are pushed to the limit both physically and emotionally as they brave extreme heights and every conceivable weather condition to work on wind turbines.”
Turbine Cowboys has a Facebook page, reports Tina Casey at CleanTechnica, in which some troll already posited that “Wind turbines are not that dangerous I live out here in tx not really risking ur life.”
To which someone who actually works on the damn things responded:
To say they are not dangerous is ignorant. The amount of safety classes, first aid and rescue training, OSHA certs, ect. is never ending. I work on turbines everyday and find new risks everyday. Im constantly reminded of how a simple slip at any point in my day can harm/kill myself or a co-worker
So, there you have it: Wind turbines are big and scary and we should all be grateful that the spectrum of human diversity includes the kind of adrenaline junkies who are willing to keep them running.
