Ground-mounted PV Installation Safety Introduction

✸ Identify the focus of this course

Disclaimer: This material was produced under grant
number SH-05027-SH8 from the Occupational Safety
and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor.
✸ Define OSHA and its mission
✸ List employer safety training responsibilities
✸ Describe the key elements of a job hazard analysis

✸ Explain the effectiveness of hazard control methods

It does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of
the U.S. Department of Labor, nor does mention of
trade names, commercial products, or organizations
imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

✸ Introductory lesson ✸ Complete Survey

✧ Presentation
✧ Quiz- graded
✸ Site & Mechanical Hazards
✸ Print Record of Completion
✧ Presentation (5 parts)
✸ Focus: Large-scale ground-mounted PV systems ✧ Quiz- graded
✧ Bring awareness to hazards found at these sites and control methods ✧ Field videos
• OSHA 30-hour construction safety also recommended ✧ Interactive exercise- not graded
✧ This is safety training, not design and installation training! ✸ Electrical Hazards
• SEI in-depth courses ✧ Presentations (7 parts)
– PV101: Solar Electric Design and Installation ✧ Quiz- graded Additional resources also available
– PV202: Advanced PV System Design and the NEC ✧ Field videos for further safety information

– PV350: Tools and Techniques for O&M ✧ Interactive exercises- not graded

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Ground-mounted PV Installation Safety Introduction

✸ Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSH ✸ OSHA also provides information, training, and
Act) was passed to prevent workers from assistance to employers and workers
being killed or seriously harmed at work ✧ This course developed under an OSHA Training Grant!
✧ Employers have responsibility to provide safe workplace

✸ Law created the Occupational Safety and ✸ For more information, visit www.osha.gov
Health Administration (OSHA)
✧ Sets and enforces protective workplace safety
and health standards

✸ Imminent danger Your Citation Summary

Hurry Up Solar, Inc.
✸ Catastrophes / fatalities Inspection Number: 1237689
Total Amount Due: $110,863.00
✸ Worker complaints & referrals Payment Due: 15 working days after
receipt of this letter
✸ Targeted inspections You must correct each violation by the date listed in
the Citation and Notification of Penalty.
✧ High injury / illness rates
Total Number of 10
Violations:
✧ Severe violators
Your First Correction 4/24/19
✸ Follow-up inspections Deadline is:

Type of Violation Penalty

Serious
Other-than-serious $12,934 per violation
Posting Requirements
Failure to abate $12,934 per day beyond the abatement date

Willful or repeated $129,336 per violation

Source: osha.gov Source: osha.gov

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Ground-mounted PV Installation Safety Introduction

✸ Section 11(c) of OSH Act prohibits employers from discriminating ✸ Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 1926, Title 29
against employees for exercising their rights under the Act applies to construction
✸ Enforces whistleblower provisions of more than 20 whistleblower laws
protecting employees who report violations of various workplace safety ✸ 30 Subparts, including
and health issues ✧ C: General Safety and
✸ Rights include Health Provisions
✧ Filing an OSHA complaint ✧ E: Personal Protective and
✧ Participating in an inspection or talking to an OSHA inspector
Life Saving Equipment (PPE)

✧ Seeking access to employee exposure and injury records ✧ G: Signs, Signals, and Barricades

✧ Reporting an injury ✧ I: Hand & Power Tools

✧ Raising a safety or health complaint with employer ✧ K: Electrical
✸ Complaints must be reported to OSHA within ✧ P: Excavations
30 days following retaliatory action ✧ X: Stairways and Ladders
✸ For more information, visit www.whistleblowers.gov
✧ V: Electric Power Transmission and Distribution

✸ Employer must instruct each employee on

✧ Recognition & avoidance of unsafe conditions
✧ Applicable regulations and methods to control or eliminate
hazards
• A person approved or assigned by the employer
Authorized to perform a specific type of duty or duties or to
be at a specific location or locations at a jobsite
• One who is capable of identifying existing and
predictable hazards in the surroundings or
Competent working conditions which are unsanitary,
hazardous, or dangerous to employees
• And who has authorization to take prompt
corrective measures to eliminate them

• One who, by possession of a recognized degree,

certificate, or professional standing, or who by
extensive knowledge, training, and
Qualified experience, has successfully demonstrated their
ability to solve or resolve problems relating to the
subject matter, the work, or the project

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Ground-mounted PV Installation Safety Introduction

✸ OSHA provides minimum standards ✸ JHA enables you to identify, eliminate, and control
✧ General contractor requirements may exceed OSHA hazards!
Job Hazard Analysis
• Subcontractors must be aware of site-specific requirements ✧ Led by competent person Supervisor: Date:
Job location: Nearest medical facility:
✸ Site safety plan includes • And all participate Description of work site:
Other information:
✧ Points of contact ✧ Pre-task hazard analyses ✧ Complete before each task Task Category:
Tasks to be performed:
✧ Emergency action plan ✧ Minimum PPE
✧ Document each meeting
List Potential Hazards List Hazard Control Methods
Implemented
✧ Incident notification ✧ Chemicals / waste stream
• All workers sign off!
✧ Specialized trainings required ✧ Equipment handling Required
• New workers to task zone PPE for task: ☐ Gloves ☐ Safety
✧ Details on safety meetings ✧ Environmental hazards ☐ High visibility toe boots
must read and sign off ☐ Hardhat
☐ Eye vest / jacket
☐ Cut resistant
✸ Safety meetings performed daily before entering protection
☐ Hearing sleeves
protection

✧ Site conditions, tasks, and hazards continuously change! Special equipment or tools needed:

Heavy machinery –
Homerun wiring caught in/between hazard
being completed
Work on trackers / Trackers – watch for moving parts!
racking
Heavy machinery /
Sand/soil – uneven
sand and soil
terrain – trip hazard
Vehicle very
close to trench
Materials very close
Trench & to trench –
conduit work Modules being slip/trip/fall hazard! Ground mount –
installed ‘overhead impact’,
electrical hazards

Open trenches –
Access to work zones watch your step!

Debris – slip/trip/fall hazard!

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Ground-mounted PV Installation Safety Introduction

✸ Work mindfully ✸ Never work alone

✧ Work at a safe pace ✧ Minimum 2 installers in any
Most Control Type How
✧ Think before each step or task
work area
effective Elimination or
Physically remove hazard ✧ 360° awareness at all times
✧ Too many people can also be a
substitution hazard
Engineering controls Isolate people from hazard

Warnings Notify people of hazard

Training & procedures Change the way people work

Least Personal Protective Protect the worker with PPE –

effective Equipment (PPE) considered the “last line of defense”

On large-scale ground-mounted PV sites, workers are

commonly exposed to ALL of the focus four hazards!