{"id":6630,"date":"2025-04-21T13:20:30","date_gmt":"2025-04-21T12:20:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theisca.org\/?p=6630"},"modified":"2025-04-21T13:20:30","modified_gmt":"2025-04-21T12:20:30","slug":"isca-urges-global-action-on-safety-training-after-third-death-of-solar-panel-cleaner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theisca.org\/index.php\/2025\/04\/21\/isca-urges-global-action-on-safety-training-after-third-death-of-solar-panel-cleaner\/","title":{"rendered":"ISCA Urges Global Action on Safety Training After Third Death of Solar Panel Cleaner"},"content":{"rendered":"

The International Solar Cleaning Academy (ISCA) expresses its deepest condolences following the tragic death of Hanumanth Pundalik Rugi, a solar panel cleaner who lost his life last month while working at a processing facility in Udupi, India<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

According to official reports, Mr. Rugi was assigned to clean rooftop solar panels without being provided with essential fall protection equipment, such as safety harnesses or PPE. While working, he tragically stepped on a fragile, transparent sheet on the roof which gave way beneath him, resulting in a 50-foot fall<\/strong> inside the building. An example of how this can happen is clearly shown in the picture below.\u00a0 The solar panel cleaner is inches away from a potentially fatal fall through a fragile skylight.<\/p>\n

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Despite emergency efforts, Mr. Rugi was later declared dead at Ajjarkad Hospital.\u00a0 This devastating incident highlights the urgent global need for high-quality training, strict adherence to safety protocols, and proper supervision in the rapidly growing solar panel cleaning industry.<\/p>\n

Tragically, this is not an isolated event. In June 2023, a 43-year-old man in Wynnum, Brisbane, Australia<\/strong> died after falling just five metres through a skylight while cleaning solar panels on the roof of a mechanic\u2019s workshop. That incident, like the one in India, involved fragile roofing materials and the absence of proper fall protection\u2014resulting in a preventable death.<\/p>\n

The death of Mr Rugi is the second death of a solar panel cleaner in India this year.\u00a0 A tragic accident occurred in Maharashtra’s Thane district when a 40-year-old laborer plunged to his death from a seven-storey building while cleaning solar panels.\u00a0 The unfortunate incident took place on Monday evening at a building in Vaylenagar, Shahapur. The victim, identified as Yeshwant Gawari, reportedly slipped and fell from the rooftop while performing his duties.\u00a0 Despite efforts by his colleagues to rush him to the nearest hospital, Gawari was pronounced dead upon arrival. Authorities have registered a case of accidental death and a detailed investigation is being conducted by the Khadakpada police.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese heartbreaking incidents are not just statistics\u2014they are human lives lost unnecessarily. Every fatality is a painful reminder that working at height on solar arrays is high-risk work that demands proper training, equipment, and respect for safety standards,\u201d says Steve Williams, Founder of ISCA.<\/p>\n

ISCA has long advocated for internationally consistent safety standards, with a focus on electrocution, fragile roof awareness, hazard identification, and working at height. This should be the norm on both commerial and residential properties.\u00a0 You don’t need to explore far to find a solar panel cleaner working dangerously, without fall protection on either a commercial or residential property, as seen below.<\/p>\n

\"Rooftop<\/p>\n

Our training programmes\u2014available in over 30 countries and languages\u2014are designed to prevent precisely these kinds of tragedies by empowering workers with the knowledge and tools they need to stay safe.<\/p>\n

We are calling on all solar companies, facility managers, and subcontractors to:<\/p>\n