Cal/OSHA cites solar panel installation company for multiple workplace hazards
Posted June 19, 2019
Cal/OSHA has cited a solar panel installation company nearly $194,000 for multiple serious workplace safety hazards, including one willful serious accident-related violation, following an investigation of a worker who was seriously injured after falling from the roof of a private residence. Cal/OSHA determined the company did not provide required fall protection for its workers.
In December 2018, three installers were working to install solar panels at a private residence when one of the workers lost his footing and fell 15 feet onto the concrete driveway, suffering a broken wrist and jaw. None of the workers were wearing fall protection.
Cal/OSHA cited the company for five violations, three of which were related to the December accident. The violations include:
- A willful serious accident-related violation as the employer failed to provide fall protection.
- Two serious violations for the employer’s failure to provide training and ensure compliance with fall protection measures.
- Two general violations for the employer’s failure to implement an effective heat illness protection plan and an injury and illness prevention program that identifies and corrects hazards specific to the worksite.
Cal/OSHA also cited the employer for two additional violations stemming from an incident that investigators learned had taken place the previous September, when a worker suffered electrical burns while connecting solar panels to an energized breaker box. Cal/OSHA noted one serious continuing violation for failing to provide insulated gloves or tools while working on energized equipment, and a general violation for the employer’s failure to investigate the industrial accident and take measures to correct safety hazards.
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