Grace Grace.
The Electrical Safety Commissioner has been asked to convene an urgent industry roundtable to discuss safety in large-scale solar farms.
The request from industrial relations minister Grace Grace follows the Court of Appeal dismissing an application by the State Government to overturn a recent ruling invalidating solar farm safety regulations which came into effect last month.
Solar farms provide renewable electricity important in encouraging electric vehicle uptake.
The latest decision is about a technical legal ruling and does not deal with the substantive safety reasoning behind the making of the solar farms regulation, Grace says.
“The Government acted on the advice of an expert safety panel and Crown Law in relation to the making of the regulation.
“My department is considering the full extent of the decision, including whether legislative changes are required.”
Grace says the Court of Appeal decision highlights that Queensland’s electrical safety laws have not kept pace with new and emerging technologies, including large-scale solar farms.
“The Electrical Safety Act has not undergone any significant changes in 17 years. A great deal of technological change and the emergence of new industries have occurred since this time,” she says.
“It is important our safety laws reflect contemporary industry and are able to respond to new and emerging industries, such as large-scale solar farms.”
Grace says safety risks for workers installing solar panels on large-scale solar farms, including electrical shock and fire, are very real and remain a significant concern for the Government.
“The evidence is also very clear – the Electrical Safety Office and Workplace Health and Safety Queensland have conducted more than 200 audits of large-scale solar farms across Queensland and issued 81 statutory notices for a range of breaches of work health and safety and electrical safety laws.”
The breaches include unlicensed electrical work, non-compliant electrical installations and inadequate safe work method statements and emergency plans.
Electrical Safety Commissioner Greg Skyring says solar farm regulations provided clarity and guidance for the industry and safety risks remain.
“I continue to support the Government in their efforts to ensure this industry and the jobs it creates can grow but not at the cost of safety”, he says.
The Electrical Safety Office will continue to actively monitor compliance at solar farms throughout the state.
