Residential solar installer Sunrun has been fined by the U.S. Department of Labor for safety violations as two of its employees suffered fatal falls from rooftops. The two incidents occurred within weeks of each other.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) on June 18 and August 8, 2024 in the Chicago area witnessed Sunrun employees working without required fall protection equipment while installing panels. The company was assessed $288,087 in penalties for the repeated offense.
The company has been cited previously for similar violations in Massachusetts in 2022 and New Jersey in 2023.
“It is unacceptable that Sunrun Installation Services Inc. allowed workers to be exposed to falls at two separate locations within weeks. Sunrun must take immediate action to ensure no employee works at heights above six feet without using required fall protection,” said OSHA Chicago North area director Sukhvir Kaur. “Falls from elevation can cause life-altering and deadly injuries, all of which can be prevented through proper protective equipment and worker training. Employers who ignore their obligations are putting their workers’ lives and well-being in serious risk.”
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports 1,069 construction workers died on the job in 2022 and 395 of those deaths were fall-related. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that falls caused about 20,000 worker injuries annually between 2013 and 2022.
Speaking from personal experience as a former Sunrun rooftop site survey employee, this author extends his condolences to the families of the fallen workers. I was given formal safety training and instructed to use a safety harness, but there was also social pressure among employees to get the job done quickly and conveniently. We at pv magazine USA encourage all solar industry workers to consider their safety their top priority.
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