Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
With regard to solar energy production and the possible impact on global warm-
ing (climate change), note that there are no global climate change emissions asso-
ciated with generating electricity from solar energy. However, there are emissions
associated with other stages of the solar life-cycle, including manufacturing, materi-
als transportation, installation, maintenance, and decommissioning and dismantle-
ment. Most estimates of life-cycle emissions for photovoltaic systems are between
0.07 and 0.18 pounds of carbon dioxide equivalent per kilowatt-hour.
SOLAR ENERGY JOB HAZARDS
*
F
fatalities
and
i
incidents
Solar energy workers are exposed to hazards that can result in fatalities and serious
injuries. Many incidents involving falls, electrocution, severe burns from electrical
shocks, and arc flashes/fires have been reported to OSHA. Some examples are given
below:
•
Solar panel installer dies when he falls off a roof.
A 30-year-old solar panel
installer died after he fell 45 feet off the roof of a three-story apartment
building. He was part of a three-man crew working to install solar panels on
a sloped roof. The worker walked backward and stepped off the roof while
checking the position of some brackets. No one was wearing personal fall
protection equipment and no other fall protection system was in place.
•
Solar energy technician is electrocuted
. A 34-year-old solar energy techni-
cian died after being injured at work. He was bringing a metal brace to a
rooftop work site. The technician was standing on a scaffold and lifting the
brace when it reached the top of the scaffold. The other end of the brace
swung into a nearby high-voltage power line. The technician was shocked
by the electrical current and fell 35 feet to the ground. He died the next day
of injuries from the electrocution and fall.
•
Deadly skylights! Solar energy and warehouse workers killed
. A 46-year-
old electrical worker and a 56-year-old warehouse worker both died after
falling through skylights while working on a roof. The electrician was car-
rying a solar panel and tripped on the ledge of the skylight and fell back-
ward through the skylight. The warehouse worker was on the warehouse
roof repairing a broken air conditioner. It is not known exactly how the
warehouse worker fell through the skylight.
Workers in the solar energy industry are potentially exposed to many of the same
hazards as those who work with or around wind turbines. In addition, solar energy
workers can be exposed to a variety of serious hazards, such as arc flashes (which
include arc flash burn and blast hazards), electric shock, and thermal burn hazards
that can cause injury and death. Solar energy employers (connecting to grid) are
covered by the Electric Power Generation, Transmission, and Distribution standard
*
Adapted from OSHA's
Green Job Hazards: Solar Energy
,
http://osha.gov/dep/greenjobs/solar.html.
