Solar installers warned not to cut corners on safety as fines handed out

Two companies are facing thousands of dollars in fines after failing to meet the required safety standards at a residential rooftop solar installation in New South Wales.

SafeWork NSW says the companies are facing separate prosecutions arising from one solar panel installation at a house in North Ryde on December 2021.

The prosecutions come less than a month after the regulator launched a six-month state-wide inspection blitz, focused on safety in the rooftop solar industry.

SafeWorkNSW says installers at the North Ryde job were caught out working on the roof of a two-storey residence without any fall protection measures in place.

One job, two prosecutions

“In one prosecution, sub-contractor SY Electrical was convicted and fined $8,000 for failing to minimise risk of fall from height by not providing and maintaining adequate employee protection,” said Natasha Mann, head of SafeWork NSW.

“The business was also convicted and fined an additional $8000 for failing to ensure a Safe Work Method Statement was prepared for the high-risk construction work.”

The second prosecution saw Solar Power Nation convicted and fined a total of $14,000 over the same North Ryde installation. Solar Power Nation subcontracted SY Electrical to carry out the solar panel installation.

“We need solar businesses to understand working safely is more than a policy statement in workplace manuals, it’s a legal responsibility that they need to be monitoring every day and on every job,” said Mann.

“Experience shows that the businesses who invest in a strong safety culture are likely to produce better quality work and have higher staff engagement.”