Ida is the world’s first Ampelfrau

When wind turbine technicians at the Knoll Offshore Wind Farm need to get to work safely, they walk from vessel to turbine using a gangway system from Ampelmann.

Ida Teglgaard, 23-year-old able seaman, will often be the one responsible for the job. And she knows her stuff – Ida is the first and currently only woman who has been trained to be in charge of an Ampelmann and she has already transferred several thousand people using the system.

“Being the first woman to be trained as person in charge feels quite special and I am of course enormously proud to have worked my way up to this. First and foremost, it is great to be even more trained to do an important part of my work and be in the position to take on more responsibility,” she says.

As person in charge, Ida needs to control Ampelmann operations, be responsible for training colleagues and to manage maintenance. Her male colleagues on board have joked that she deserves a pink Ampelmann helmet, and the captain also thinks she has done well.

“It is great to be recognised, especially when it is down to your professional and technical skills. It is not good enough for me or for anyone else to be good at something “as a woman”. That is not something we say at ESVAGT; here you just have to be good at your job,” Ida emphasises.