A safe PV system is installed according to in shock or fire hazards developing over time

applicable building codes and standards. PV due to wiring or arcing faults.

installer safety includes considerations for a safe
work area, safe use of tools and equipment, safe OSHA Regulations
practices for personnel protection, and
awareness of safety hazards and how to avoid Safety and Health Regulations for Construction
them. The installation of PV systems involves a (29 CFR Part 1926) applies to general
number of safety hazards, principally electrical construction, including several subparts
and fall hazards. applicable to the installation of PV systems:

Working safely with PV systems requires a Subpart C - General Safety and Health
fundamental understanding of electrical systems Provisions
and the safety hazards involved, in addition to
normal work site and construction hazards. The Subpart D - Occupational Health and
common sense aspects for jobsite safety can be Environmental Controls
summarized as follows:
Subpart E - Personal Protective and Life
Saving Equipment
• If the workplace is cluttered, the possibility of
tripping over something is significantly Subpart I - Tools, Hand and Power
increased.
• If the workplace is a sloped roof with clutter, Subpart K - Electrical
the possibility of falling off the roof is
significantly increased. Subpart M - Fall Protection
• If tools are left lying out on a roof, the chance Subpart X - Stairways and Ladders.
of the tools falling off the roof and injuring
someone below is increased. Lifting Safety
• If the workplace is a rooftop in bright Lifting is one of the most common tasks, and
sunshine, the chance of sunburn and heat unfortunately it is often performed incorrectly.
exhaustion is increased, so workers should take Although lifting objects can cause various
appropriate precautions like using sunscreen, injuries, back injuries are the most common.
keeping well-hydrated and wearing light-colored
clothing. Lifting hazards are a serious problem when you
consider how debilitating a back injury can be.
There are the usual subtle hazards, as well. Back injuries do not heal quickly and can last a
These include nicks, cuts, and burns from sharp lifetime.
or hot components. Gloves should be used when
handling anything that might be sharp, hot, Fortunately, risks associated with lifting can be
rough, or that might splinter. Special insulating dramatically reduced with knowledge, training,
gloves are required for working with live and proper lifting technique. See Fig-1
voltages. There is always the possibility of
dropping tools or materials on either oneself, Safe lifting procedures
someone else, or on sensitive equipment or
materials. Dropping conductive tools across Remember these three simple guidelines while
battery terminals is an especially dangerous lifting :
hazard. When a PV system is being assembled, it
presents the possibility of shock to personnel.  Lift with your legs.
Proper procedure during installation can reduce,  Maintain your curves.
and often eliminate hazards including electrical  Don’t twist-when lifting and carrying,
shock. Improperly installed systems may result move your feet in the direction you are
 moving without twisting. Your torso will least 3-1/2 in high. Safety nets must be deployed
follow naturally. no further than 30 ft below where work is
performed, preferably closer. In certain
applications, the use of designated safety
monitors and warning lines may meet the
requirements, but is the least desirable of all fall
protection systems. In any case, it is best
practice to perform work at ground level if
possible, such as pre-assembly of PV panels and
arrays.

Figure 2- Fall protection is a primary safety concern for

PV installers.

Stairways and Ladders

OSHA requires that a stairway or ladder be used

Figure 1 Lifting Procedures
at points of access where there is an elevation
break of 19 in or more on a jobsite. See Fig. 5.
Fall Protection Stairways with four or more risers, or higher
than 30 in, must be equipped with at least one
Falls are the leading cause of deaths in the handrail, capable of withstanding a force of 200
construction industry. Because most PV systems pounds. See Fig. 6.
involve climbing ladders, or working on
rooftops, it is essential that PV installers are Ladders must be kept in a safe working
familiar with OSHA fall protection regulations. condition. Keep the area around the top and bot-
Most fatalities occur when employees fall from tom of a ladder clear, and ensure rungs, cleats,
open-sided floors and through floor openings. and steps are level and uniformly spaced 10 in to
Consequently, OSHA requires that fall 14 in apart. Use ladders only for their designed
protection be used for walkways and ramps, purpose. Never tie ladders together to make
holes and excavations, roofs, wall openings or longer sections, or load ladders beyond the
skylights where an employee or worker can fall 6 maximum load for which they are rated. A
feet or more. Employers must provide training competent person must inspect ladders for
to employees on how to recognize and minimize visible defects, like broken or missing rungs, and
fall hazards, and the use of fall protection if a defective ladder is found, immediately mark
systems and devices. See Fig. 2 it defective or tag it “Do Not Use”, and withdraw
defective ladders from service until repaired.
Fall protection options include Personal Fall
Arrest Systems (PFAS), guardrails and safety Non-self-supporting ladders (those that lean
nets, and must be in place before work com- against a wall or other support) must be
mences. See Figs. 3 & 4. Training is required positioned at an angle where the horizontal
on how to properly use and maintain PFAS, distance from the top support to the foot of the
including the anchorages, lifelines and body ladder is 1/4 the working length of the ladder
harnesses. Guardrails used to protect open-sided (the distance along the ladder between the foot
floors and platforms must have top rails between and the top support). See Fig. 7. When using a
39 and 45 in tall, a mid-rail, and toe boards at portable ladder for access to an upper landing
 Figure 3- A personal fall arrest system (PFAS) consists of an anchorage and connectors, a body harness, and a
lanyard/deceleration device.

Figure 4- Safety line anchorages must be independent of any platform anchorage and capable of supporting at
least 5,000 pounds per worker.

Figure 5- A stairway or ladder is required at points of access to a construction site where there is a break in
elevation of 19 inches or more.
 Figure 6- Stairrails and handrails must be able to withstand 200 pound force.

surface, the side rails must extend at least 3 ft

above the upper landing surface. For step
ladders, the top and top step should never be
used as a step, and never use crossbracing on the
rear of a stepladder for climbing — unless the
ladder is designed for that purpose. Tall fixed
ladders 24 ft or longer must be equipped with
either: a ladder safety device; self-retracting
lifelines with rest platforms every 150 ft or less;
or cage or well, and multiple ladder sections,
each section not exceeding 50 ft.

If using ladders where the employee or the

ladder could contact exposed energized electrical
equipment, such as transformers or overhead
services, ladders must have nonconductive side
rails such as wood or fiberglass. Face the ladder
when going up or down, and use at least one
hand to grab the ladder when going up or down.
Do not carry any object or load that could cause
you to lose balance while climbing ladders.

Hand and Power Tools

Power tools are extremely hazardous when used Figure 7- Ladders must be used with the proper angle
or maintained improperly. Workers using hand and secured at the appropriate height.
and power tools may be exposed to a number of
hazards, including objects that fall, fly, abrasive,
or splash; harmful dusts, fumes, mists, vapors, Additional guidelines and precautions for using
and gases; and frayed or damaged electrical power tools include the following:
cords, hazardous connections and improper
grounding. Eye protection is usually always • Follow manufacturers’ instructions
required.
• Use the proper personal protective equipment
All hand and power tools and similar equipment, (PPE)
whether furnished by the employer or the • Disconnect tools when not in use, for cleaning,
employee, shall be maintained in a safe and when changing accessories
condition. All power tools must be fitted with
factory guards and safety switches, and hand-
• Secure work with clamps or a vise, freeing
held power tools must be equipped with a both hands to operate the tool
constant pressure switch or on-off switch. • Inspect tools regularly before use and
Hazards are usually caused by misuse and maintain in sharp, clean condition
improper maintenance. • Do not wear loose clothing and jewelry that
can get caught in moving parts
• Do not use electric cords to carry, hoist or to the top of the head. Type II hard hats have a
full brim and provide protection from blows to
lower tools
the top or sides of the head. Class G (General)
• Keep cords and hoses away from heat, oil, and hardhats are intended to reduce the danger of
sharp edges contact exposure to low voltage conductors and
• Remove damaged electric tools & tag them: are proof tested to 2,200 volts. Class E
“Do Not Use.” (Electrical) hardhats are intended to reduce the
danger of exposure to high voltage conductors
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and are proof tested to 20,000 volts. Class C
(Conductive) hardhats provide no electrical
insulation and not intended to provide
protection against contact with electrical
conductors.

Figure 8 Personal Protective Equipment

Personal protective equipment (PPE) includes

protective clothing, gloves, footwear, helmets, Figure 9- Hard hats protect the head from blows
goggles, respirators, aprons or other garments
and energized electrical conductors.
designed to protect workers from injury to the
body by impacts, electrical hazards, heat and
chemicals, and other job-related safety hazards. Eye Protection
PPE is the last measure of control when worker Eye protection must be provided to protect
exposure to the safety hazards cannot be totally against hazards such as dust and other flying
eliminated by feasible work practices or particles, corrosive gases, vapors, and liquids,
engineering controls. See Fig 8 and welding operations. See Fig. 10. The
selection of eye protection is based on protection
Responsibilities of the employer include from a specific hazard, its comfort, and must not
assessing the workplace for hazards, providing restrict vision or movement, or interfere with
PPE, determining when to use it, and providing other PPE. Types of eye and face protection
training for affected employees. Employee include:
responsibilities include using PPE in accordance
with training received and other instructions,
and inspecting daily and maintaining the PPE in
a clean and reliable condition.

Head Protection

The employer shall ensure that each affected

employee wears a protective helmet when
working in areas where there is a potential for
injury to the head from falling objects, or Figure 10- Types of eye and face protection
exposure to electrical hazards. See Fig. 9. Type include safety glasses, goggles and face shields.
I hard hats provide protection from blows only
• Safety glasses: Single or double lens; close tection options include earmuffs that fit over the
ear and seal against the side of the head,
and comfortable fit important. Prescription
disposable and reusable earplugs inserted
lenses available.
directly into the ear canal, or hearing bands. See
Fig 11. All approved hearing protectors have an
• Goggles: Offer the most complete protection assigned Noise Reduction Rating (NRR) in
from impacts, chemicals and vapors by sealing decibels.
around the eye area. Vented types allow air flow
and reduce the chance for fogging, but protect Nose Protection
from impacts only. Non-vented and indirect-
vent types protect from impacts as well as
splash, vapors or particles; use lens coatings for
better anti-fog performance. Many types fit over
prescription eyeglasses.

• Face shields: A supplementary, secondary

protective device to protect a worker’s face from
certain chemical and welding radiation hazards.
Must use with safety glasses for impact
protection. Special lenses and shade number
required for specific welding operations.

Hearing Protection
Figure 12 Safety Nose Mask
When employees are exposed to harmful
atmospheres, dust or vapors, the employer shall
provide respirators which are applicable and
suitable for the purpose intended. Although not
generally required, certain construction tasks
related to a PV installation may require
respiratory protection, such as working in
insulated attics. See Fig 12

Foot Protection

Figure 11- Hearing protection should be used

whenever using machinery or power tools with
noise levels exceeding 85 dB.

Hearing protection must be used whenever an

employee’s noise exposure exceeds an 8-hour
time-weighted average (TWA) sound level of 90 Figure 13 – Safety Shoes
dBA. Noise levels above 115 dBA require control
measures for any duration. OSHA also Foot protection must be used when any of the
recognizes an 85 dBA TWA as an action level to following conditions are present: heavy objects
monitor noise levels. Noise levels likely exceed such as barrels or tools that might roll onto or
85dBA if one has to raise their voice to converse fall on employees’ feet; sharp objects such as
with another person 3 feet away. Hearing pro- nails or spikes that might pierce ordinary shoes;
molten metal that might splash on feet; or  When engineering and work practice
working on hot, wet or slippery surfaces. Safety controls fail to eliminate the risk of
shoes have impact-resistant toes and heat-
resistant soles, and may be electrically injury to your employees’ hands or arms,
conductive for use in explosive atmospheres, or protective gloves are the primary means
nonconductive to protect from electrical of protecting their hands. See Fig 14
hazards. See Fig 13  When the risk of injury includes the arm,
protective sleeves, often attached to the
All types of protective footwear must include an
identification label listing the applicable gloves, may be appropriate
standard, manufacturer, and specifications. All  Nature of the hazard(s) and the
protective footwear must provide impact and operation to be performed will determine
compression resistance. Impact resistance (I) is your selection of gloves
rated for 75, 50 or 30 foot-pounds. Compression
resistance (C) is rated for 75, 50 or 30 which
correlates to 2500, 1750 or 1000 pounds of •Types of Gloves
compression resistance.  Durable work gloves made of metal
mesh, leather or canvas. See Fig 15
Protective footwear may also meet the following  Fabric and coated fabric gloves
specifications as labeled:  Chemical and liquid resistant gloves
• Metatarsal resistance (Mt) is rated for 75, 50  Insulating rubber gloves
or 30 foot-pounds.
• Conductive (Cd) footwear is used to dissipate
static electricity in explosive environments.
• Electrical hazard (EH) footwear has non-
conductive soles and provides secondary
protection from live electrical equipment.
• Puncture resistant (PR) footwear provides
integral protection from sharp objects
penetrating the sole.
• Static dissipative (SD) footwear reduces the
accumulation of excess static electricity for
Figure 15 Types of Gloves
electronics environments.
• Chain saw cut resistant (CS) footwear.
Safety Vest
• Dielectric insulation (DI) footwear is designed
to provide additional insulation for contact
with energized electrical conductors.

Hand & Arm Protection

High visibility reflective safety vests, or 'hi-vis

vests' are used throughout the country and
around the world as asafety and precautionary
measure. When worn in certain work
environments, these vests to help prevent injury
to those who wear them.

Figure 14 -Hand & Arm Protection