Solar installers warned to expect site visits in new rooftop crackdown

Workers installing rooftop solar installations across New South Wales can expect a visit from the state’s workplace health and safety regulator, SafeWork NSW, who announced on Monday plans to conduct a six-month state-wide inspection of the industry.

This will be the second time SafeWork inspectors have targeted the state’s rooftop solar industry after visiting 286 rooftop solar installation locations in 2021. At the time, SafeWork NSW said they uncovered “some alarming unsafe practices.”

“The installation of solar photovoltaic systems on rooftops has increased markedly over recent years, due in part to government rebates, with NSW having installed most new rooftop solar panels in Australia in 2021,” said Matthew Press, executive director for compliance and dispute resolution at SafeWork NSW.

“Solar retailers and installers have responsibilities under work health and safety laws to ensure workers are not at risk of falls from heights or contact with electricity, the two biggest safety risks the industry faces.

“Falls from heights is the biggest cause of traumatic fatalities on NSW construction sites, with most serious or fatal falls being from roofs, ladders or unsafe scaffolds – and from a height of four metres or less. That’s about the height of a single storey house.”

A concerning 69% of sites inspected in 2021 were only using harnesses or failed to be using fall protection at all, according to SafeWork NSW. And, of the sites that were using harnesses, 32% did not have appropriate anchor points in place, and 50% were not clipped on to anything.

Similarly, 26% of sites did not have their ladder fixed at the top, nor did the ladder extend one metre past the landing space.

Other concerns noted by the 2021 inspection tour included a lack of locks on the main electrical switch or the meter box and failing to properly address the risk of overhead powerlines.

“The risks are real,” Press continued.

“In January 2020, an apprentice electrician fractured his pelvis and back after falling more than three metres from a roof while installing solar panels at a construction site in Parklea.

“Later that year during another solar install, a 27-year-old roofing contractor fell more than three metres through the roof of a sheering shed fracturing his back, at a rural property in Alectown near Parkes.”

SafeWork NSW will be conducting inspection of rooftop solar installation sites throughout the remainder of the year. On-the-spot fines of more than $3,600 for non-compliance will be issued under what SafeWork describes as a “zero-tolerance approach taken to falls risks.”

Conversely, SafeWork also offers $1,000 rebates for safety purchases which could prevent an incident.

Safety is not the only concern around rooftop solar, with basic sales and installation compliance practices also under careful scrutiny by regulators and other authorities to ensure they meet strict standards, including of equipment registration and job supervision.

Last week, seven electricians had their contractor’s licences revoked by NSW Fair Trading for false rooftop solar rebate submissions.

The licenses were pulled after investigators found the contractors had signed and submitted compliance certificates (CCEWs) for solar panel installations despite not having carried out, supervised, or inspected the installations themselves.

Investigators found that six of the electricians were either overseas or interstate on the dates listed on the certificates. The seventh contractor was in Sydney instead of at the job sites in regional New South Wales.