Commercial-scale, green power generation by wind farms and solar panel installations is becoming standard practice. The use of these technologies in the future is expected to grow exponentially, especially as distributed energy becomes a critical link in the global corporate efforts to address climate change. While wind farms are always installed in the natural environment – on flat fields or mountain peaks, or in the sea – solar panels can be installed both on the ground as solar farms or on flat roofs of large buildings as solar systems.

With the influx of multi-thousand square feet warehouses being built throughout the country, it is important to note that there are solutions that can be applied to allow these buildings to combat climate change and as a result, counterbalance the visual and environmental deterioration such buildings may bring. Corporations which already have or plan to build large scale warehouses, can incorporate sustainability into these buildings by installing solar systems on their roofs and buying adjacent land to plant trees, thus creating mini-forests around these warehouses.

In addition to environmental considerations, the sustainability of green power installations also involves worker health and safety protection. There are two areas of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) that must be recognized when considering worker health and safety protection in the Green Energy Industry. These include OSHA’s standards for both Construction and General Industry. The construction of Installations will fall under OSHA’s Construction requirements, whereas operation and maintenance will fall under OSHA’s General Industry requirements.  

Top 10 Green Energy Job Hazards:

Wind & Solar Renewable Energy – Construction, Operation & Maintenance Jobs

The following OSHA standards are expected to apply to wind farms, solar farms and solar systems under both the Construction and General Industry categories:

1. Walking – Working Surfaces and Personal Fall Protection Systems

The standard addresses the obvious hazards which are associated with falls. Per Construction requirements, any time a worker is exposed to fall distances of 6 feet or more, fall protection must be provided. Regarding General Industry requirements, a 4-foot fall distance is the threshold where fall protection must be provided. Such fall protection may be in the form of guardrails, safety net systems, personal fall arrest systems, positioning systems, travel restraint systems, and ladder safety systems.

The new rule has updated and clarified related standards as well as Training and Inspection requirements:

• Fixed Ladders – Ladder safety or personal fall arrest systems must be installed in place of cages on new fixed ladders that extend more than 24 feet tall. Existing fixed ladders with cages are grandfathered in until 2036 when all cages will be required to have ladder safety or personal fall arrest systems.

• Rope Descent Systems – The current standard has a 300-foot height limit. Building anchorages must also be confirmed tested, certified, and maintained as capable of supporting 5,000 pounds for each worker attached. 

2. Confined Spaces

The configuration of nacelles will be classified as confined spaces. Some of these spaces, due to specific hazards, will be considered permit-required confined spaces. The potential hazards include the following:

• Toxic, flammable and asphyxiating atmospheres

• Engulfment

• Configuration

• Other recognized hazards

If entry into permit-required confined spaces will occur by workers, then a written program must be developed in accordance with the standard and made available to the workers. Consequently, training is a requirement as well.

3. Fire Prevention

Workers may be exposed to various fire hazards due to electrical equipment, combustible materials, and lubricants that are present. Therefore, training must take place for employees on the various fire hazards and applicable responses.

4. Lockout / Tagout

This standard refers to specific practices and procedures to safeguard employees from the unexpected energization or startup of machinery and equipment, or the release of hazardous energy during service or maintenance activities. Procedures must be established and employees must be trained on them.

5. Medical and First Aid

Due to wind farms being normally located in remote locations, access to medical and first aid must be considered. Medical personnel must be available for advice, consultation, and to implement first aid. Other requirements include the following:

• Two-person rule – Under certain circumstances crews of at least two people are necessary so that one person can provide first aid or CPR to the other person.

• 4-minute rescue – An adequate number of workers must be trained so that an electric shock victim is not more than 4 minutes from a first aid and CPR-trained person.

• Lone worker – Practices must be in place to reduce the possibility of someone working alone contacting energized parts and other electrical hazards. 

6. Bloodborne Pathogen and Exposure Control

This standard provides control measures and steps to be followed to prevent occupational exposure to pathogens found in blood and other potentially infectious materials. A plan must be in place and trained on by all those who have a responsibility that may cause them to be potentially exposed to bloodborne pathogens.

7. Crane, Derrick and Hoist Safety

Large and heavy loads are often moved by this heavy equipment during installation and maintenance of wind farms, solar farms and solar systems. Training must be completed on performing inspections prior to using the equipment, on their operation, and how to be safe while working near them.

8. Electrical

Employees at wind farms, solar farms and solar systems are often potentially exposed to electrical hazards such as arc flashes, electric shock, falls due to shock, and thermal burn hazards. Also, these hazards can occur inside the turbine itself of a wind farm or at nearby overhead power lines.

• Electric Power Generation, Transmission, and Distribution Standard – Requires workers to be trained in CPR, because a worker who may be exposed to an electric shock may experience a sudden cardiac arrest. Also, this standard requires employers to implement safe work practices and worker training requirements.

9. Machine Guarding

Moving parts associated with the turbine (such as gears and blades), have the potential to cause severe injuries, such as crushed fingers or hands, amputations, burns, or blindness if not properly guarded. Employers must ensure that rotating parts and points of operation of machines are properly guarded prior to being used by workers.

10. Respiratory Protection

Buffing and resurfacing operations may occur while maintaining wind farms. As a result, employees may be exposed to harmful gases, vapors, and dusts. In such cases, ventilation and/or respirator usage must be utilized. If respirators are used, then a respiratory protection program must be developed in accordance with the standard that includes training and medical surveillance.

How can the Renewable Energy Sector improve worker safety?

The necessary Health & Safety programs, policies, and procedures must be established and documented, and the appropriate training programs must be developed and implemented for initial and on-going worker training. For operating solar and wind installations, a baseline Health & Safety Audit is recommended to assess gaps and recommend corrective actions and improvements, both with regards to regulatory compliance and best management practices.

The benefits of the development and implementation of a Health & Safety Management System, such as ISO 45001, cannot be overemphasized, for assuring the protection of employees working in Green Energy installations, such as wind farms, solar farms and solar systems. Implementation of an ISO 45001 Management System in a Green Energy organization paves the way toward the reduction in workplace injuries and illnesses through a proactive approach to hazard identification, risk assessment, and systematic management of health & safety concerns for its workers. These steps lead to improved organizational health and safety, with the added benefit of culminating the betterment of the organization’s sustainability status and performance scoring.

Blog Author

Andrew Tirmenstein
Senior Project Manager, Security, Health and Safety Services
ISO 45001 & ISO 14001 Auditor
KERAMIDA Inc.

Contact Andrew at atirmenstein@keramida.com.