First Solar, Inc. safety record at a glance
First Solar, Inc. has been the subject of 6 Cal/OSHA inspections in California since 2000, opened between Aug 5, 2008 and Jun 13, 2019. 2 of them were accident inspections. 3 of them produced citations, 5 in all: 5 serious. Inspectors proposed $60,185 in penalties; after appeals and settlements the current total is $60,185. The largest single penalty, $33,185, came from an inspection opened Aug 5, 2008 in Wilton. That places the employer at #1,096 of 122,854 California employers in the database by penalties.
Industry as coded by the inspecting office: Utilities; Construction. Worksites in Parkfield, Santa Clara, Lancaster, Desert Center, Wilton.
Every inspection, newest first
Click a date for the citations in that inspection.
| Opened | City | Why | Result | Proposed | Penalty | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 13, 2019 | Parkfield | Unprogrammed related | 1 citation 1 serious | $6,750 | $6,750 | Nov 8, 2019 |
| Jan 17, 2018 | Santa Clara | Accident | 2 citations 2 serious | $20,250 | $20,250 | Jul 25, 2018 |
| Aug 31, 2012 | Lancaster | Complaint | no citations | 0 | 0 | Feb 22, 2013 |
| Jul 11, 2012 | Desert Center | Referral | no citations | 0 | 0 | Aug 1, 2012 |
| Feb 14, 2012 | Lancaster | Complaint | no citations | 0 | 0 | May 8, 2012 |
| Aug 5, 2008 | Wilton | Accident | 2 citations 2 serious | $33,185 | $33,185 | Dec 4, 2008 |
Also recorded as: First Solar Inc; First Solar; First Solar, Inc.
The rules this employer was cited under
- 8 CCR 2320.1: 1 citation, 1 serious, $22,500
- 8 CCR 3314, Lockout and cleaning of machinery: 1 citation, 1 serious, $13,500
- 8 CCR 2320.2, Electrical, work on energized equipment: 1 citation, 1 serious, $10,685
- 8 CCR 2940.13: 1 citation, 1 serious, $6,750
- 8 CCR 4184, Cranes and derricks, general: 1 citation, 1 serious, $6,750
Accidents investigated
Local pages: Santa Clara employment lawyer, Lancaster employment lawyer.
How to read this record
Each row is one inspection by Cal/OSHA (or, rarely, federal OSHA) of one worksite. Why is the reason it was opened. Proposed is the penalty the inspector assessed; penalty is the current figure after any appeal or settlement. "Serious" means a realistic possibility of death or serious harm; "willful" and "repeat" carry penalties up to $162,851 each.
Citations document that the employer was told, in writing, what the rule required and when. That knowledge is often the center of a retaliation case: a worker who complained about the hazard an inspector later cited, and was then fired or cut, has a Labor Code 6310 claim, with lost wages and attorney's fees.
Full explainer: how to read a Cal/OSHA record.
If you work, or worked, at First Solar, Inc.
Write down what you reported, to whom and when, and what changed afterward: shifts, pay, duties, write-ups. Request the inspection file from the Cal/OSHA district office using the activity number on the inspection page. An injury goes through workers' compensation; a firing, demotion or threat after a safety complaint or injury report is an employment claim with a one-year deadline at the Labor Commissioner (Labor Code 6310) and a longer one in court. Free, confidential review: (800) 371-3088 or send what you have.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor OSHA enforcement data, California inspections. Record last checked Nov 1, 2026. Back to the safety tracker.
About this data: Records come from the U.S. Department of Labor's OSHA enforcement datasets (inspection, violation, accident and accident injury tables), which carry Cal/OSHA's state-plan inspections alongside federal ones. We load every inspection of a California worksite opened since January 1, 2000 and refresh it weekly. Employer names, addresses and industry codes are as the inspecting office recorded them; similar names are grouped where they clearly refer to the same employer. A citation can be reduced, vacated or withdrawn on appeal, and an inspection can stay open for months, so a record can change. Penalties shown as "current" reflect the latest status in the federal file. This page is public information about the employer's regulatory record, not legal advice and not a statement that any person was harmed or any law broken beyond what the record states.