Is the photovoltaic industry harmful to human health?

Photovoltaic technology has made remarkable progress in improving battery conversion efficiency and expanding consumer demand, and product selection and application are more than before. New substitutes for crystalline silicon photovoltaic cells have emerged, including the cutting method of replacing ordinary silicon rods with cast silicon wafers, thin-film cells (CdTe, CIGS, amorphous silicon and microcrystalline silicon), concentrated photovoltaic cells, silver-plated cells and continuous printed cells. However, the progress of photovoltaic technology has also caused many new chemical and physical hazards in the process of manufacturing and R&D, which requires corresponding engineering, management and personal control and protection measures to reduce the potential hazards to employees. During the production and maintenance of photovoltaic cells, various chemical related factors that endanger human safety will occur, such as contact with various spontaneous combustion, flammable or toxic gases, including silane, phosphorus, hydrazine, hydrogen, ammonia water, hydrogen arsenide, etc., because their functions are deposition, doping and other related processes in the reaction chamber. In the process of storing, loading, unloading and transporting these gases, it is very common for workers to be exposed to chemicals and get hurt. Because the hazards and potential disasters of these chemicals are related to their release or exposure, detailed process hazard analysis (PHA) must be included in the engineering design stage. In the United States, the types and quantities of chemicals stored in equipment may touch the process safety management standards of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) or the specifications required by the Federal Accident Prevention (FedARP) of the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). Workers may inhale the mixture of metal dust and air when cutting and scribing solar cells with deposited metals (such as arsenic, cadmium, copper, indium, gallium and selenium). If it is not properly protected and controlled by process fence or ventilation, metal dust in the air may fall on instruments, workpiece surfaces and floors, leading to potential cross-contamination problems, such as workers ingesting harmful substances. Controlling dust emission during cutting and scribing requires proper evaluation of the process, installation of fences and ventilation control (if necessary) to ensure that workers' exposure is below reasonable specified values. Nanoparticles are used in photovoltaic manufacturing, such as quantum dots, nanowires and silver-plated batteries suspended in ink. They are composed of various chemicals, such as cadmium, silicon, cadmium telluride and cadmium selenide. Handling nanoparticles in their original form may lead to inhalation and/or skin hazards. These nano-sized particles may be significantly different from larger particles of the same material in nature, including fluidity in human body, bioaccumulation in some organs and toxic reactions. In the manufacturing process, various corrosive chemicals are often used to etch and clean solar photovoltaic modules, including hydrochloric acid, hydrofluoric acid, phosphoric acid and sodium hydroxide. Proper ventilation control, staff training and use of personal protective equipment (such as gloves, goggles, masks, etc.). ) is necessary to avoid inhalation of gas and/or skin contact. In the production of CIS and CIGS (copper, indium, gallium, selenium) thin-film solar cells, the reaction chamber and other production equipment often need manual cleaning, which leads to the possibility of contacting the sediments and reaction residues in the reaction chamber. Therefore, contact control, such as exhaust ventilation pipes, the use of high-efficiency vacuum cleaners and gas masks, is necessary to minimize inhalation contact of workers. A large number of chemicals are used in photovoltaic manufacturing and R&D, some of which have limited toxicological data or unlimited exposure in the air. Due to the temporary lack of sufficient toxicological data and suggested occupational exposure limits, photovoltaic manufacturers should adopt a strong combination of engineering control, administrative practice and personal protective equipment to reduce workers' exposure to harmful substances in the production process and related maintenance. Overview of Physical Hazards In addition to the factors related to chemicals that endanger human safety, photovoltaic manufacturing and R&D also have a large number of physical safety factors in production and maintenance: the possibility of exposure to various dangerous energy sources-electricity, hydraulic pressure, machinery, etc. During maintenance, cleaning, adjustment and/or equipment maintenance. Therefore, it is very important to strictly implement the operation specifications of harmful energy and conduct good training to avoid potential electric shock, amputation or crush injury. Contact belts, wheels and other rotating equipment on conveyor belts or other production equipment need to be properly protected to prevent accidental contact by production and maintenance workers. Hand-held power tools must be used correctly to process parts and carry out preventive maintenance to avoid injury. Artificial materials transportation and loading and unloading equipment may cause serious sprains, strains and other musculoskeletal injuries. Conveying system, crane and lifting equipment, pallet truck, handcart, etc. Can be used to reduce these injuries. Forklift trucks, pallet trucks and other loading and unloading equipment may cause impact injuries. Therefore, it is necessary to train operators, abide by the standards of heavy vehicles and have good training. It is easy to keep the walkways clean, because materials and articles can't be messy or piled up on sidewalks and formal work areas. Solar photovoltaic technology has introduced many new production and research processes, but a series of chemical and physical hazards have also emerged, which requires caution, the use of environmentally safe and healthy design methods, preliminary planning, and the establishment of a strong equipment installation and safe reception process. Active management focuses on developing and supporting a strong environment and human safety culture to ensure proper control of chemical and physical hazards in production process and maintenance. Integrating environmental and human safety into the process of enterprise from design to product recycling will help to improve the morale and loyalty of employees, reduce accidents and help to achieve the lowest financial expenditure.