Photovoltaic (PV) Systems and Safety

Workshop on Installing Photovoltaic Systems

Florida Solar Energy Center
Cocoa, Florida
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 Key Elements of a PV
System

energy load
power
source utilization
conditioning

PV Array Inverter
load energy
Charge distribution
center
Controller
energy
conversion

electric
energy utility
storage battery network

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 General Program Standards for
PV Installation Practitioners

Given a grid-connected PV system design, including major

components, drawings and instructions, the PV practitioner will
install a grid-connected PV system that meets the needs of the
customer, the site, and local code requirements by:
1. Working safely with photovoltaic systems
2. Conducting a site assessment
3. Selecting a system design
4. Adapting the mechanical design to the site
5. Adapting the electrical design to the site
6. Installing subsystems and components at the site
7. Performing a system checkout and inspection
8. Maintaining and troubleshooting the system
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 PV Systems and Safety
PV installer safety: A safe PV system:
Safe work area PV system codes and
Safe use of tools and standards
equipment Public safety codes
Safe practices for and standards
personnel protection Identification of safety
Awareness of safety hazards
hazards and how to Identification of
avoid them environmental hazards

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 The Need for Safe Work
Practices and Standards
Each year...
Nearly 6,000 workplace fatalities
50,000 deaths from workplace-related
illnesses
5.7 million non-fatal workplace injuries
Injuries alone cost U.S. businesses
over $125 billion.
Source: OSHA Publication 2056
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 OSHA Safety Categories

Personal Protection Equipment (PPE)

Electrical
Falls
Stairways and Ladders
Scaffolding
Power Tools
Materials Handling
Excavation
Cranes
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 NEC Article 690: Solar
Photovoltaic Systems
I. General
II. Circuit Requirements
III. Disconnecting Means
IV. Wiring Methods
V. Grounding
VI. Marking
VII. Connection to Other Sources
VIII.Storage Batteries
IX. Systems Over 600 Volts
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 PV Systems and the
National Electrical Code®
In addition to Art. 690, other NEC articles may also apply to PV installations:
 Article 110: Requirements for Electrical Installations
 Article 210: Branch Circuits
 Article 230: Disconnect Means
 Article 240: Overcurrent Protection
 Article 250: Grounding
 Article 300: Wiring Methods
 Article 310: Conductors for General Wiring
 Article 400: Flexible Cords and Cables
 Article 480: Storage Batteries
 Article 490: Equipment, over 600 Volts, Nominal
 Article 685: Integrated Electrical Systems
 Article 705: Interconnected Electric Power Production Sources
 Article 720: Circuits and Equipment Operating at Less than 50 Volts
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 NEC Article 690: Summary
Section Contents NEC Cross
References
I General: Scope, Definitions, Installation, Ground-fault protection, AC modules Article 240

II Circuit Requirements: Maximum voltage, Circuit sizing and current, Articles 110,
Overcurrent protection, Stand-alone systems 210, 240
III Disconnecting Means: Conductors, Additional provisions, PV equipment, Article 230
Fuses, Switches and circuit breakers, Installation and service
IV Wiring Methods: Methods permitted, Component interconnections, Connectors, Articles 310,
Access to boxes 400
V Grounding: System grounding, Point of system grounding connection, Article 250
Equipment grounding, Size of equipment grounding conductor, Grounding
electrode system
VI Marking: Modules, AC modules, PV power source, Point of common connection

VII Connection to Other Sources: Identified interactive equipment, Loss of Article 230
interactive system power, Ampacity of neutral conductor, Unbalanced
interconnections, Point of connection
VIII Storage Batteries: Installation, Charge control, Battery interconnections Articles 400,
480
IX Systems over 600 Volts: General, Definitions Article 490
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Personal Protective
Equipment (PPE)

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 Personal Protection
Equipment Responsibilities
Employer
Assess workplace for hazards.
Provide personal protective equipment (PPE).
Determine when to use.
Provide PPE training for employees and
instruction in proper use.
Employee
Use PPE in accordance with training received and
other instructions.
Inspect daily and maintain in a clean and reliable
condition.
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 Examples of PPE

Body Part Protection Equipment

Eye Safety Glasses, Goggles
Face Face Shields
Head Hard Hats
Feet Safety Shoes
Hands and arms Gloves
Bodies Vests
Hearing Earplugs, Earmuffs
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Eye Protection

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 Eye Protection for Employees
Who Wear Eyeglasses

Ordinary glasses do not provide the required

protection. Proper choices include:
 Prescription glasses with side shields and
protective lenses
 Goggles that fit comfortably over corrective
glasses without disturbing the glasses
 Goggles that incorporate corrective lenses
mounted behind protective lenses

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 Preventing Electrical
Hazards: PPE

 Proper foot
protection (not
tennis shoes)
 Rubber insulating
gloves, hoods,
sleeves, matting,
and blankets
 Hard hat (insulated -
nonconductive)
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 Safety Shoes

Impact-resistant toes and heat-

resistant soles protect against
hot surfaces common in roofing
and paving
Some have metal insoles to
protect against puncture
wounds
May be electrically conductive
for use in explosive
atmospheres, or nonconductive
to protect from workplace
electrical hazards
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 Selecting the Right Hard
Hat
Class A
 General service (building construction, shipbuilding,
lumbering)
 Good impact protection but limited voltage protection
Class B
 Electrical/utility work
 Protects against falling objects and high-voltage
shock and burns
Class C
 Designed for comfort, offers limited protection
 Protects against bumps from fixed objects, but does not
protect against falling objects or electrical shock
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Hand Protection

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Electrical Safety

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 Facts about Electrical
Hazards
About 5 workers are
electrocuted every week.
Causes 12% of young
worker workplace
deaths.
Takes very little
electricity to cause harm.
Significant risk of
causing fires.

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 Electrical Injuries

There are four main types of electrical

injuries:
 Electrocution or death due to
electrical shock
 Electrical shock
 Burns
 Falls (caused by shock)
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 Shock Severity

Severity of the shock depends

on:
 Path of current through the
body
 Amount of current flowing
through the body (amps)
 Duration of the shocking
current through the body
LOW VOLTAGE DOES NOT
MEAN LOW HAZARD
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 Dangers of Electrical
Shock
Currents above 10 mA* can
paralyze or “freeze” muscles.
Currents more than 75 mA can
cause a rapid, ineffective
heartbeat -- death will occur in a
few minutes unless a defibrillator
is used.
75 mA is not much current – a Defibrillator in use
small power drill uses 30 times
as much.

* mA = milliampere = 1/1,000 of an ampere

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 Burns

Most common shock-

related injury
Occurs when you touch
electrical wiring or
equipment that is
improperly used or
maintained
Typically occurs on hands
Very serious injury that
needs immediate attention
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 Falls from Electrical Shock

Electric shock can also

cause indirect injuries.
Workers in elevated
locations who
experience a shock
may fall, resulting in
serious injury or death.

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 Falls in Construction

Falls are the leading cause of deaths in the

construction industry.

Most fatalities occur when employees fall from

open-sided floors and through floor openings.

Falls from as little as 4 to 6 feet can cause

serious lost-time accidents and sometimes death.

Open-sided floors and platforms 6 feet or more in

height must be guarded. 26
 Fall Protection Options

Personal Fall Guardrails Safety Net

Arrest System
(PFAS)
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 Personal Fall Arrest
Systems

You must be trained how to properly use PFAS.

PFAS = anchorage, lifeline and body harness. 28
Safety Line
Anchorages

Must be independent of
any platform anchorage
and capable of
supporting at least 5,000
pounds per worker.

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 Safety Nets

Place as close as possible, but no more than 30 feet

below where employees work.
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 Roofs

If you work on roofs and can fall

more than 6 feet, you must be protected.
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 Ladder Angle
Non-self-supporting
ladders (that lean
against a wall or other
support):
Position at an angle
where the horizontal
distance from the top
support to the foot of
the ladder is 1/4 the
working length of the
ladder.
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 Ladder Rail Extension

When using a
portable ladder for
access to an upper
landing surface, the
side rails must extend
at least 3 feet above
the upper landing
surface.

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 Near Energized Electrical
Equipment

If using ladders where

the employee or the
ladder could contact
exposed energized
electrical equipment,
they must have
nonconductive siderails
such as wood or
fiberglass.
This is an unsafe condition 34
 Overhead Power Lines
Stay at least 10 feet
away.
Post warning signs.
Assume that lines are
energized.
Use wood or fiberglass
ladders, not metal.
Power line workers
need special training
and PPE.
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 Fall Protection Training
Workers should be trained in the following areas
(as applicable):

The nature of fall hazards in the work area.

The correct procedures for erecting,

maintaining, and disassembling the fall
protection systems to be used.

The proper use, placement, care and handling of

ladders.

The maximum intended load-carrying capacities of

ladders.
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 Power Tools

 Must be fitted with guards

and safety switches

 Extremely hazardous when

used improperly

 Different types determined

by their use:
 Electric
 Pneumatic
 Liquid fuel
 Hydraulic
 Powder-actuated
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 Switches

Hand-held power tools must be

equipped with one of the following:

Constant pressure switch

Shuts off power upon release
Examples: circular saw, chain saw,
grinder, hand-held power drill

On-Off Switch
Examples: routers, planers, laminate
trimmers, shears, jig saws, nibblers,
scroll saws
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 Power Tool Precautions
 Disconnect tools when not in use, before servicing and
cleaning, and when changing accessories.
 Keep people not involved with the work away from the
work.
 Secure work with clamps or a vise, freeing both hands to
operate the tool.
 Don’t hold the switch button while carrying a plugged-in
tool.
 Keep tools sharp and clean.
 Consider what you wear – loose clothing and jewelry can
get caught in moving parts.
 Remove damaged electric tools & tag them: “Do Not Use.”

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Power Tool Precautions

 Don’t carry portable tools

by the cord.

 Don’t use electric cords

to hoist or lower tools.

 Don’t yank cord or hose

to disconnect it.

 Keep cords and hoses

away from heat, oil, and
sharp edges.
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 Electric Power Tools
To protect a worker from shock, these tools must:
 have a 3-wire cord plugged into a grounded receptacle
 be double insulated, or
 be powered by a low-voltage isolation transformer

Double
insulated
markings
Plug with a
grounding
pin

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 Hazard: Inadequate
Wiring
 Hazard: Wire too small for the
current.
 Example: Portable tool with an
extension cord that has a wire too
small for the tool
 The tool will draw more current Wire Gauge
than the cord can handle, causing
overheating and a possible fire WIRE
without tripping the circuit
breaker. Wire gauge measures
wires ranging in size
 The circuit breaker could be the from number 36 to 0
right size for the circuit but not for American wire gauge
the smaller-wire extension cord. (AWG)

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 Grounding

Grounding creates a low-

resistance path from a tool
to the earth to disperse
unwanted current.

When a short or lightning

occurs, energy flows to
the ground, protecting you
from electrical shock,
injury and death.

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 Hazard: Improper
Grounding
Tools plugged into
improperly grounded
circuits may become
energized.
Broken wire or plug on
extension cord
Some of the most
frequently violated OSHA
standards

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 Electric Tools: Good
Practices
 Operate within design limits.
 Use gloves and safety
shoes.
 Store in a dry place.
 Don’t use in wet locations
unless so approved.
 Keep work areas well lit.
 Ensure cords don’t present
a tripping hazard.
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 Power Tool Summary

Hazards are usually the result of improper

tool use or not following one or more of the
proper protection techniques:
 Inspecting the tool before use
 Using PPE (Personal Protective Equipment)
 Using guards
 Properly storing the tool
 Using safe handling techniques
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 Lockout and Tagging of
Circuits
Apply locks to power source
after de-energizing.
Tag deactivated controls.
Tag de-energized equipment
and circuits at all points where
they can be energized.
Tags must identify equipment or
circuits being worked on.

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 Electrical Equipment Training

Train employees working with electric

equipment in safe work practices, including:

De-energizing electric equipment before

inspecting or repairing
Using cords, cables, and electric tools that
are in good repair
Lockout / tagout recognition and
procedures
Using appropriate protective equipment
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 Summary: Electrical Hazards
and Protection Measures
Hazards Protective Measures
 Inadequate wiring  Proper grounding
 Exposed electrical parts  Use GFCIs
 Wires with bad insulation
 Use fuses and circuit
 Ungrounded electrical systems
breakers
and tools
 Overloaded circuits  Guard live parts
 Damaged power tools and  Lockout/tagout
equipment  Proper use of flexible
 Using the wrong PPE and tools cords
 Overhead powerlines  Close electric panels
 All hazards are made worse in  Training
wet conditions
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 Installer Safety: Electrical
Summary

Electrical equipment must be:

 Listed and labeled
 Free from hazards
 Used in the proper manner
If you use electrical tools you must be:
 Protected from electrical shock
 Provided with necessary safety equipment
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 Conclusions

 PV safety involves the safety of the workers

while installing the system and the safety of all
others who may come in contact with the
system after it is installed.
 OSHA regulations help keep workers safe.
 NEC requirements help ensure a safe system.
 PV installers should be trained in both OSHA
regulations and the NEC. Special attention
should be paid to fall protection.
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