In a recent report, CEA stated that it had performed over 600 rooftop PV safety audits in 14 countries, with 97% of them boasting major safety concerns. 

It shared the main results of the audit in a new report identifying the top 10 most common safety problems in the audited systems. It said that 49% of sites have grounding issues, 47% have damaged modules, 41% have cross-mated connectors, 40% have poor terminations and improperly assembled connectors, 31% have module hotspots, 27% have cables on sharp edges, 26% have broken or damaged connectors as well as water ingress, and 19% have enclosure hotpots. Almost half of the projects had grounding issues.

Grounding issues were caused by incorrect designs, moisture or water intrusion, installation plans not by the crew, and problems overlooked by installation quality control personnel. 

These factors could lead to several consequences, such as hazardous equipment current leakage and increased maintenance and system down time from inverter faults. But more importantly, it could endanger onsite personnel.

In Fact, the vast majority of these hazards are caused by poor installation practices. In other words, most of them can be identified and resolved relatively easily before they lead to fires, safety risks, and potentially costly liabilities.