Lancaster, California · Electrical Contractors and Other Wiring Installation Contractors · NAICS 238210
First Solar, Inc has 6 OSHA inspections on record in California, the first in 2008.
OSHA's last visit started on Jun 13, 2019 as part of a related case, in Parkfield.
Across those inspections OSHA issued 5 citation items: 5 serious.
OSHA proposed $60,185 in penalties and the amount has not been reduced.
For context, across all construction employers the median penalty per cited inspection since 2015 is $3,079. First Solar, Inc averages $13,500 over 2 cited inspections in that time.
First Solar, Inc also files yearly injury logs with OSHA, summarized below.
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Watch this company92100 Turkey Flats Rd., Parkfield, CA 93451 · Solar Electric Power Generation · OSHA's record · Phone and website on Google Maps
| Citation and rule | Type | Proposed | Current | Issued | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Citation 1, item 1 | Serious | $6,750 | $6,750 | Oct 15, 2019 | Final |
1035 Walsh Avenue, Santa Clara, CA 95050 · Solar Electric Power Generation · OSHA's record · Phone and website on Google Maps
Incident on Jan 10, 2018: Employee's arm is crushed by coating machine's rollers
At 6:00 p.m. on January 10, 2018, Employee #1 was cleaning the rollers of a solar panel coating machine. During cleaning, Employee #1's arm became caught in the machine's rollers that resulted in the arm being crushed. Employee #1 was hospitalized for his injuries.
| Citation and rule | Type | Proposed | Current | Issued | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Citation 1, item 1 29 CFR 4184(B) |
Serious | $6,750 | $6,750 | Jul 9, 2018 | Final |
| Citation 2, item 1 29 CFR 3314(C) |
Serious | $13,500 | $13,500 | Jul 9, 2018 | Final |
49881 170th Street West, Lancaster, CA 93534 · Electric Power Generation · OSHA's record · Phone and website on Google Maps
No citations from this inspection.
44810 Kaiser Road, Desert Center, CA 92239 · Commercial and Institutional Building Construction · OSHA's record · Phone and website on Google Maps
No citations from this inspection.
49881 170th West St., Lancaster, CA 93536 · Electrical Contractors and Other Wiring Installation Contractors · OSHA's record · Phone and website on Google Maps
No citations from this inspection.
13345 Apple Rd, Wilton, CA 95693 · Electrical Contractors and Other Wiring Installation Contractors · OSHA's record · Phone and website on Google Maps
Incident on Jul 23, 2008: Employee receives multiple burns in arc flash
On July 23, 2008, Employee #1 was working for a company who supplies solar equip ment. The solar equipment had to be converted from DC to AC. To accomplish the c onversion, 440-550 volt DC power from the solar panels entered an inverter, whic h was housed in a locked inverter cabinet. The inverter transferred the power to a transformer that was wired in a Wye configuration with a center tap that prod uced 277 volts between ground and one phase and 480 volts between phases. Three exposed, energized bus bars were located at the bottom of the left side of the c abinet. The DC disconnect automatically shut off DC power from the solar panels when the cabinet door was unlocked and opened but the AC power continued to be p resent since it received feedback from the power lines to which it was connected . The AC lines between the cabinet and the system had two separate disconnecting means, one on the pole and one in the cabinet. The disconnect on the pole was a fuse that required a lineman. As the electrician left the jobsite, at approxima tely 5:15 p.m., he noticed Employee #1 entering the jobsite but he was not flagg ed down to help deenergize the cabinet. Employee #1 did not have a key for the c abinet so he used needle-nose pliers to open it, which automatically shut down t he DC coming into the inverter cabinet. However, the AC bus bars were still ener gized. Employee #1 intended to attach monitoring equipment to the system and beg an to loosen a nut on one of the energized bus bars with a uninsulated crescent wrench. The wrench made contact with a second energized bus bar in contact with the first. The 480-volt short circuit caused an arc flash. Employee #1 was hospi talized with multiple burns.
| Citation and rule | Type | Proposed | Current | Issued | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Citation 1, item 1 | Serious | $22,500 | $22,500 | Oct 15, 2008 | Closed |
| Citation 2, item 1 | Serious | $10,685 | $10,685 | Oct 15, 2008 | Closed |
From the Form 300A summaries employers file with OSHA each year. Rate = recordable cases per 100 full-time workers.
In 2025, the Santa Clara site logged 0 recordable injuries or illnesses among about 73 workers: 0.0 per 100 full-time workers, against a median of 0.5 for its industry.
| Site and year | Workers | Cases | Days-away cases | Rate | Industry median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Solar Santa Clara - California Technology Center Santa Clara · 2025 | 73 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.5 |
| First Solar Santa Clara - California Technolog Santa Clara · 2021 | 50 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.5 |
| First Solar California Technology Center Santa Clara · 2018 | 45 | 1 | 1 | 2.1 | 0.5 |
| First Solar LLC / Desert Sunlight Desert Center · 2017 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 1.0 |
| First Solar LLC / AVSR Lancaster · 2017 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 1.0 |
Current text from the Code of Federal Regulations. Some citations were issued under older wording.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, OSHA enforcement data. A citation is OSHA's allegation; employers can contest it, and the status column shows where each item stands. Something wrong on this page? Tell us.