Inspectors to launch blitz on rooftop solar installs
NSW inspectors will launch a blitz on the rooftop solar panel installation industry. SafeWork NSW inspectors are launching a six-month state-wise operation after finding serious safety concerns after the last targeted blitz.
The 2021 rooftop solar campaign visited 286 solar panel installation sites and uncovered some unsafe practices. Falls from heights and contact with electricity are the two leading causes of injury at rooftop solar installations.
Of the 286 inspections in 2021 SafeWork NSW inspectors found:
- 69 per cent of those sites were only using harnesses or no fall protection.
- Of those using harnesses, 32 per cent did not have appropriate anchor points in place, and 50 per cent were not clipped on to anything.
- 26 per cent of sites did not have their ladder fixed at the top, nor did the ladder extend one metre past the landing space.
- 27 per cent of sites did not place a lock on the main electrical switch or the meter box
- 14 per cent did not adequately address the risk of overhead powerlines.
The safest protection against falls from heights when working on a roof is to use roof rails or scaffold. Solar rooftop installers must only use harnesses as a last resort when roof rails cannot be installed.
SafeWork NSW warned that in January 2020, an apprentice electrician fractured his pelvis and back after falling more than three metres from a roof while installing solar panels at a construction site in Parklea.
Later in 2020, during another solar install, a 27-year-old roofing contractor fell more than three metres through the roof of a sheering shed fracturing his back, at a rural property in Alectown near Parkes.
If you have questions about site safety or need help making sure your workplace is a safe as possible, Master Electricians have unlimited access to the MEA Safety hotline. Phone 1300 889 198.
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