Solar installer hit with fine after worker falls through roof

An Australia solar installer has been fined $40,000 after a sub-contractor fell three stories through a roof whilst in the process of removing asbestos sheeting, in preparation for a new roof and rooftop PV system.

WorkSafe Victoria announced last week that Sams Solar Pty Ltd had been sentenced in the Portland Magistrates Court earlier in the month after pleading guilty to a single charge of failing to provide and maintain a safe workplace.

The company, Sams Solar, had been contracted in April 2023 to remove asbestos sheeting before installing a new roof and solar system at a self-storage warehouse located in Portland, on the southwest coast of Victoria.

According to the WorkSafe Victoria account, the company engaged a sub-contractor to carry out the asbestos removal at the three-storey building and was responsible for providing equipment to complete the work.

Instead of using a scissor lift from underneath the roof or completing the asbestos removal from the rooftop with a safety mesh or catch platform installed below, workers were only provided with harness and lifted onto the roof by a boom lift before attaching to an anchor point using ropes, rather than retractable or inertia lanyards.

Workers were then required to traverse the roof via unsecured lengths of timber.

Due to the sub-par safety precautions, one of the worker’s harness ropes became tangled. After unclipping to fix the tangle, the brittle roof surface below the timber he was walking on cracked, leaving the worker to fall three stories, or about 10 metres.

“The worker was airlifted to hospital suffering a fractured wrist and severe bruising to his body,” WorkSafe Victoria reported.

In addition to being fined $40,000, Sams Solar was also ordered to pay $6,026 in costs.

The details provided by WorkSafe Victoria identify the solar installer as Sams Solar Penrith, a company based out of Cranebrook, a suburb of Greater Western Sydney in the state of New South Wales. This was independently confirmed by One Step Off The Grid.

While the incident did not take place during the actual installation of the proposed solar installation, WorkSafe executive director of health and safety Sam Jenkin nevertheless reinforced that a worker had been left with painful injuries in an incident that could have easily ended in tragedy.

“Falls from height remain one of the biggest killers on Victorian worksites and it is frustrating to see employers continue to put workers in situations where they are at serious risk of harm,” said Jenkin.

“As highlighted in this case, safety harnesses come with their own hazards and should only be considered in instances where greater risk control measures cannot be used.”

WorkSafe Victoria used news of the incident to remind employers of measures that must be in place to prevent falls from height, and the requirements of duty holders to their workers.