New Energy World™
New Energy World™ embraces the whole energy industry as it connects and converges to address the decarbonisation challenge. It covers progress being made across the industry, from the dynamics under way to reduce emissions in oil and gas, through improvements to the efficiency of energy conversion and use, to cutting-edge initiatives in renewable and low-carbon technologies.
Safety in word and deed: Darren Taylor on psychological safety and operational excellence in onshore wind
14/1/2026
8 min read
Feature
Marking Stand Up for Safety Week (12–16 January 2026), New Energy World speaks with Darren Taylor, Head of Onshore Operations UK & Ireland at Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy and newly appointed Chair of SafetyOn, about human factors, leadership and building a safer, more open onshore wind industry.
An hour with Darren Taylor flashes quickly by. Ten years into wind operations, after nearly three decades in the Corps of Royal Engineers with deployments to Bosnia, Kosovo, the Gulf, Iraq and Afghanistan, he distils his philosophy to a single foundation: people.
‘I live by human factors now,’ he says. ‘It means an environment with very open communication; transparency builds massive trust.’
That can be a challenge in a male‑dominated world of maintenance engineering. How do you get men to open up? Taylor doesn’t hesitate. ‘Approachability. Bringing a personality where you can be approached. That environment of psychological safety, where it doesn’t matter who you are, you can speak up or be approached, questioned, challenged about anything I’ve done or said, as long as we are talking appropriately and keeping a safe environment.’