Solar Panel Installation

Solar installers combine roofing hazards with electrical hazards. Solar panels produce electricity whenever light hits them, so you can’t simply “turn them off.”

• Construction
• Electrical

Top hazards

• Falls from roofs and ladders, especially while carrying panels
• DC electrical shock and arc flash; panels are energized in daylight
• Heat on hot roofs, and burns from hot panels and racking
• Wind catching panels like sails
• Attic work: heat, insulation, stepping through ceilings

Key practices

• Use roof anchors and personal fall arrest, or guardrails, on all roof work.
• Hoist panels with ladder lifts or material lifts instead of carrying them up ladders.
• Treat all conductors as energized; cover panels with opaque material when making connections, and test before touching.
• Follow lockout and NEC rapid shutdown procedures; only qualified electrical workers make terminations.
• Plan heat breaks and start early.
• Don’t move panels in high wind.

Why solar DC is tricky

• Panels in series can produce several hundred volts of DC on a sunny day.
• DC arcs don’t self-extinguish the way AC arcs often do, so a loose connection can keep arcing and start a fire.
• Opening the AC disconnect doesn’t de-energize the conductors between the panels and the inverter.
• Battery storage systems add another energized source. See Battery Safety.

Getting panels on the roof

Carrying a panel up a ladder means losing three points of contact while holding something that catches wind. Use a ladder hoist, a material lift or a boom truck. Stage panels on the roof only where they can’t slide or blow off, and never stack them on a steep pitch without securing them.

Roof penetrations and attics

• Locate rafters before drilling, and seal every penetration so the roof doesn’t leak.
• In attics, step only on joists, watch for heat, and keep away from wiring. See HVAC (attic safety).
• Ground-mount systems involve trenching and pile driving. See Trenching.

Before work on an array

• Roof anchors installed and fall protection in use
• Skylights and roof openings protected
• Panel lift or hoist set up
• Rapid shutdown and lockout done; conductors tested
• Panels covered when making connections
• Wind checked; water and shade for heat

Last updated: October 1, 2026