The offshore wind energy industry is growing at an encouraging rate, and Australia is seeking to commence offshore wind development. Although there is research on the planning and environmental risks, there is limited research addressing health and safety risks. Some scholars argue the two industries are different, while others support the application of offshore petroleum safety to wind. This article analyses whether the industries have many similarities, and whether the safety case provides the most robust safety regulatory framework for both industries, concluding that Australia’s approach is a solid foundation for safety in the developing wind industry.

海上风能产业正以令人鼓舞的速度增长，澳大利亚正在寻求开始海上风能开发。尽管对规划和环境风险进行了研究，但针对健康和安全风险的研究却很有限。一些学者认为这两个行业是不同的，而另一些学者则支持将海上石油安全应用于风能。本文分析了这些行业是否有很多相似之处，以及安全案例是否为两个行业提供了最强大的安全监管框架，得出的结论是，澳大利亚的做法为发展中的风能行业的安全奠定了坚实的基础。