Sunpro Solar cited by US labor department over workplace safety

Sunpro Solar has been cited by the US Department for Labour (DOL) for exposing its workers to fall hazards after an investigation at a Naples, Florida work site and is facing US$160,000 in penalties for the violation.
The DOL’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited Marc Jones Construction LLC – operating as Sunpro Solar – for a “repeat violation after inspectors found workers exposed to falls”, despite the residential PV installer being cited twice for similar offenses in Texas over the past two years – in San Antonio in January 2021 and in El Paso in April 2020.
OSHA cited the company for allowing workers to climb up and down extension ladders while carrying loads that could have caused them to fall and failing to provide fall protection training to employees, the DOL said in a media statement.
Sunpro Solar was founded in 2008 by Marc Jones Construction, a commercial and residential solar panel installation company operating in 21 states.
“Marc Jones Construction has ignored the law repeatedly and failed to protect their workers from well-known fall hazards,” said OSHA Area Director Condell Eastmond in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. “OSHA will continue holding this company accountable until they start meeting their obligations and complying with OSHA standards.”
It comes close on the heels of Sunpro’s acquisition by home security giant ADT, being rebranded at ADT Solar, in a deal worth US$825 million, with the transaction subject to “customary closing conditions”.
The company has 15 business days from when it received its citations to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director or dispute the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
Sunpro Solar had yet to respond to requests for comment at the time of publication.