There has been a fair amount of interest in green energy in recent years. As part of this trend, more and more homes and businesses are utilizing solar panels to meet some of their energy needs.

A fair amount of work goes into the installation and maintenance of such panels. This includes work by electrical workers. Now, there are some dangers that could come up for electrical workers and other workers in connection to solar panel installation and maintenance. This includes risks of electrical accidents. Solar panel systems can be carrying a lot of direct-current (DC) energy.

Being exposed to DC energy as a result of a workplace accident could subject a solar panel worker to major injuries. When pursuing workers’ comp to help with the effects of such injuries, there are some critical decisions a worker might have to make in relation to their claim. Given how complex and impactful such decisions can be, what information a worker has when making such decisions can matter considerably. So, having access to quality information and guidance through being represented by a skilled workers’ comp attorney can be important for an injured solar panel worker when pursuing a workers’ comp claim.

Among the things that can have impacts on the safety of solar panel workers is what information they have regarding the DC energy situation when doing installation or maintenance work. Having accurate information on whether the area they are working on has DC energy present in it could help a worker with avoiding situations that could lead to electrical accidents.

Now, there are some challenges with gauging whether DC energy is present in a given area of a solar panel system. Recently, a new probe has been developed aimed at addressing these problems and providing an accurate way of testing for such energy. It is called the DC “Hot Stick.” The researchers who developed the probe hope it could prove to be a helpful DC detection device for electrical workers who work on solar panels, first responders and other workers. One wonders if this device (and ones like it) will have major impacts on the safety situation of electrical workers involved in solar panel work.

Source

phys.org, “DC Hot Stick developed for first responder, worker safety,” Aug. 14, 2017