A head for heights

Manchester postwoman Hilary Murray discovered health and safety training can be fun during a hands-on session with 3M, a company specialising in safety training.

‘As my training is in HSE (Health, Safety and Environmental) management, I get invited to lots of seminars, conferences and exhibitions,’ Hilary explained. ‘However, this one was different.’

After an in-depth safety briefing, which involved weighing up the risks of ascent – a key part of health and safety – Hilary began her ascent of the 30-metre wind turbine. Hilary walks regularly, and has even climbed Snowdon, but even so she felt very nervous.

‘I was geared up with a hard hat and full body harness by the instructors,’ she said. ‘I was in very safe hands. But inside the shaft, as I looked up the ladder, which seemed to ascend for ever, I got butterflies.’

Hilary found though that the higher she climbed, the more she enjoyed the experience. ‘About half way up the butterflies disappeared and were replaced with surprise at how easily I was climbing,’ she said. ‘You couldn’t see how high up you were apart from through a small window and the square hatch in the floor through which we were going to be winched down.’

The actual experience of the abseil was steady and safe, Hilary noted. But, also a little surreal: ‘I have to observe that harnesses are not made for ladies and my natural contours prevented me from seeing the ground properly,’ she said. ‘But the descent was slow and controlled so, when my feet touched, I descended further onto my derriere as I hadn’t braced!’

Despite not-quite sticking the landing, Hilary says she now has the bug: ‘There are bigger wind turbines, and I’m up for climbing them if there’s a 3M instructor (such as the one pictured) to guide me for the first few times!’