Cal/OSHA cited an Anaheim, Calif.-based solar-panel installation company for multiple serious workplace safety hazards, including a willful serious accident-related violation, according to a news release from the agency. Nexus Energy Systems faces $193,905 in proposed penalties after a worker was seriously injured falling from the roof of a residential worksite. Cal/OSHA determined the company did not provide fall protection for their workers.
According to Cal/OSHA, three installers were working to install solar panels in Oakland, Calif., when one worker lost his footing and fell 15 feet onto a concrete driveway, suffering serious injuries. In May 2018, California became the first state to mandate all new residential buildings, including apartments, and condos three stories or shorter, have solar rooftops starting in 2020, as part of energy-efficiency standards.
Cal/OSHA cited Nexus Energy Systems for five violations, including a willful serious accident-related violation for failing to provide fall protection, two serious violations for a failure to provide training and ensure compliance with fall protection measures, and two general violations for a failure to implement an effective heat illness protection plan and an injury and illness prevention program.
“Falls from roofs are often deadly, and that is why employers must protect their employees from fall hazards and provide effective training,” said Cal/OSHA deputy chief of enforcement Debra Lee. “This employer was aware of these dangers and ignored its responsibility to address them.”
Cal/OSHA also cited the company for violations stemming from a separate worksite investigation. At that worksite, a worker suffered electrical burns while connecting solar panels to an energized breaker box. Violations included a failure to provide insulated gloves or tools while working with energized equipment and a failure to investigate the accident.
