WAH heirarchy permits a scaffold platform to mitigate the effects of a fall when other measures are impractical. The scaffold has to be at the correct height, fully boarded and railed, and you have to avoid the very common problem of tools and materials and all sorts of nasty sharp things being positioned at the stage area where people are most likely to fall!!

Also be very aware that these panels cannot be turned off. As soon as the covers are removed they generate enough voltage (when in series) to knock you flat (i.e. dead flat!) Wire all tools to the belt. For the most part electricians will be doing this work so should be well up on safety...yes yes...zimmy in the world of dreams again! Dopn;t forget the bit about getting the inverter into the attic space (another real joy for an RA) Z

Ron - Excellent advice as always - you must be earning a mint with your knowledge ;) Lisa - Thank you for the link, have seen this previously and it is a great document Zimmy - Firstly thank you for teaching me a new welsh word ;), Secondly the inverter in the loft is always an interesting one, I will be tackling that RA next. Will drop you an email message once complete Thanks

If you mean Polo Mints, then yes I don't do too badly.

I agree Paul. It's one hell of a crazy place to put any electrical kit but that's where the put the thing. You and I know better Paul. I have said my bit on the con trick that passes itself as 'green' energy on the LinkedIn forums. The pure rubbish that is talked about wind and Photopv makes a good bed time story but falls short in the real world. We, the enlightened (the chosen ones), will not be taken in by the fake industry that has been created, but then ,what di I know? If people are taken in by the trick so be it but that is what is. Think about it folks. IMHO of course. You dear readers may think otherwise. Your money, your call :-)

I dunno Zim'.... The householder who has them installed (free) gets their electricity free, as long as the batteries last, and the installer/owner gets the difference between the unit cost and the buy-in tariff... Of course, if the system is grid connected and there is a power cut....the solar system also fails.. It is, of course, a scam. It will only last as long as the subsidy is there ! Of course, the ordinary user is paying for the solarPV system and its use................................

Jim, Manual handling issues to get it there in the first place, ditto when it needs replacing. Inadequate access for routine maintenance. Thus does not meet maintainability requirements of CDM, or BS7671 etc. Temperatures, it contains commercial electronics, they don't like elevated temperatures, such as are experienced in domestic lofts. Forget all you ever learned about "hardened" electronics for military use, they don't exist in the commercial world as no one will pay for them. Does not comply with BS7671, which requires compliance with manufacturers instructions, which will almost certainly say that they must not be used in teperatures in excess of x deg C. Which WILL be exceeded in a domestic loft in the UK. The reason they are sites there are, incompetnt designers, incompetent installers, and price. A domestic loft is not the place for them. (Full stop, BTW!;))

Perhaps retro fit to domestic roofs is not the right thig to do then. Hey Ho another industry killed off by H&S regulations:-) Bob

The inverter for my PV went in my utility room. At about 18 inch x 18 inch x 6 inch it's not that bulky. Installers of the system were (according to the wife - I was at work) a pair of monkeys, 1 ladder, walking on the mounting bars no edge or fall protection. Also according to the company - all workers are in house we don't use contractors - proved bull as I met them at the end of the job & they were contractors from another company. They told me (before they knew what my job is) that they didn't need a risk assessment as the work was on a domestic property not a workplace. I have since had discussions with the PV company! Chris G

Not an industry killed off by H&S, more an industry dominated by muppet designers & installers, and those who are not having conditions forced on them that are unacceptable. The loft is not the place, if you check the inverter install instructions, I bet that the loft space would be excluded, so that is not a H&S issue what so ever. Personally, I would be unhappy having one in my loft & it is floored, with permenant lighting, and an almost full standard size access door! The best location is somewhere cold & dry, with the minimum of condensation, there it will experience the most efficient function and longest life of its components.

Hi all, Since the inverter is now installed in the loft, should I put a smoke / rate of rise detector in there? Finances of my installation are that from year 7 I get 'free' electricity at todays prices until the set up runs out.

Apologies for digging up an ancient thread, but this was the closest thing I could find when I was searching. I've been asked about this method of access for installing PV panels (the option which includes a hoist for the panel): http://www.solarresource...arscaffoldingcompany.htm Watching the videos there are a number of issues which concern me, but I've never seen these things in the flesh. If anyone has an opinion I'd be grateful to hear it. Thanks

In the same way that the rest of your electrical installation will not kill you, until there is a particular set of circumstances if it has no earth. Not having a minutes problem is not indicative of a suitable, compliant and sufficient install that will last its design life. TBH, IF your install is 100% compliant then I will be absolutely AMAZED, 90+% of the solar installs I have seen, heard of, seen pictures of, come across were not compliant in one way or another. IF your inverter is in the loft, then that is a non-compliance to begin with. Try CDM for a starter for that one.

tony. You are making a habit of stating that I am wrong, then stating that you will no longer post on the thread. I suspect that it is because you fear being ridiculed. I stand by my comments even though what you state is correct, in that I don't know the spec of your inverter. I don't need to. IF it is in the loft then it will almost certainly fit into the 90%. IF you can prove otherwise then fine, however, I seriously doubt you can. You are just one of these trolls who makes statements and then refuses to back them up with any evidence or is willing to justify, explain or expand them. That is not conducive on a professional forum.

Thanks, Ray.

Further thread creep! The problems you describe have long been a problem with domestic gas boilers situated in cupboards, above kitchen worktops etc. I was struck by the similarity only, and not doubting your view on inverter placement for a moment.

Ron, I agree completely. Mind I am considering putting my gas boiler in the loft, however, not sure if it will be feasible. I'll have to get it there myself, and if I can't do that, then I can't expect anyone else to do it for me. There is definitely a MH issue with many boiler locations I have seen.

OK the "installer" did, all of them? There is lighting and boarding in the loft, in the event of a mains failure and there is a requirement to work on the inverter, then I trust that you have ensured that the requirements for "emergency" lighting have been met so that those employed to do the work are safe to do so with adequate lighting. Yes I am generalising, in the same way that many groups are tarred with being part of the lowest common denominator, it is demeaning, possibly, but, it happens, and, it will continue to happen the H&S profession does it all the time, as it does not distinguish between trades, competencies and tasks very often when dictating what PPE will be worn to do works. All I can say is that following the lines that I have experienced there majority of installs done do not fully comply. I had participants in a class where I was teaching the BS7671 17th edition course. They were "solar" installers, when a glaring issue was highlighted between the practices that they undertook, and what was acceptable under BS7671 as a life saving measure, they could not comprehend the problem for several hours. Once the "penny" dropped, there was an "Oh Heck" moment from them a few hours later. I would never accuse you of knowingly allowing sub-standard works to be undertaken on your home, but, if you are competent to do the works, why the heck employ someone to do them? It would be cheaper to do them yourself? Taking the solar pv issue, are you totally familiar with all of the requirements of BS7671? What about the associated guidance, and the REAL scheme requirements. You see there is a latent issue with Solar PV that the "powers that be" in the "industry" have not addressed. I have asked the question, and I have not had a satisfactory or definitive answer, so I have had to formulate my own from the first principles of engineering as I have been taught all of my working life, through my trade training, my degrees and my cpd. If you have a TT install final circuits must disconnect within 0.2s, if you have a TN install this is 0.4s. A solar inverter only has to stop generating in 5s after mains failure. So, IF you hammer a nail into a circuit and are suffering an electric shock, the "DNO mains" must disconnect within 0.2s (TT) or 0.4s (TN) systems. This would normally be achieved in a TT system by the use of an RCD. Now IF your solar system feeds in down stream of the rcd for the circuit from which you are suffering a shock, it, only has to shut down 5s later. So this could give you a prolonged shock for up to 4.8s, now I personally would not like to be hanging off 230V a.c. for 4.8 s, noting that there is no rcd to protect you from this current, it would probably kill you. This is a glaring loop hole in the requirements, and none of the "industry bodies" have given me an answer to this issue. It is probable that the inverter would disconnect in less than 5s, however the product standard only requires a 5s disconnection. Now, IF your solar install is 100% compliant the inverter feed MUST be upstream of any and all final circuit protective devices. Are you sure it is? Would you stake your life on it, as if you did some careless DIY you might have to. However, I am now telling you something that you were already 100% aware of all of the details of including which regulations are contended, as you "certainly don't allow sub standard works to be undertaken on my home". So, you also had all of the paperwork for the install, all of the test result paperwork, the guarantees, all of the module serial numbers etc.? Please remember, it was an "NICEIC Approved Contractor" that killed Emma Shaw as decided by the coroner. Would you like to come back with more information so that you can be sure that your install complies?