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Solar · United States

JHA for battery storage installation

By Safety PaperworkBuilt from OSHA standards and guidance · How we write and check theseUpdated

OSHA expects employers to find and control hazards on every job, and many general contractors require a written JHA for battery storage installation before you start.

A JHA breaks the job into steps, lists the hazards in each step and the controls that protect the crew, and the crew signs it. The main hazards are electric shock from live wiring, lifting and carrying heavy loads, fire and emergencies and stored energy.

Make this JHA nowWord templatePDF

JHA example: battery storage installation

This is a complete JHA for battery storage installation, with 5 job steps. Open it in the builder to add your site, crew and signatures, change anything, and download a PDF. Or download the free Word template below and fill it in by hand.

Job Hazard Analysis (JHA)
Home battery installation · Solar · Example
Document JHA-001 · Rev 1

Job steps, hazards and controls

#Job stepHazardsRisk beforeControlsRisk after
1Check the location meets clearance and fire rules
  • Fire and emergencies
High
  • Provide fire extinguishers suited to the site, checked and easy to reach. Engineering
  • Keep exits and escape routes clear and signed. Engineering
  • Have a site emergency plan: alarm, exits, assembly point and emergency contacts. Administrative
  • Keep a stocked first aid kit and at least one trained first aider on site. Administrative
  • Know the site address and how emergency services get in. Call 911. Administrative
  • Go through the emergency plan with every worker and visitor at induction. Administrative
  • Keep flammable materials and rubbish away from exits and escape routes. Administrative
Medium
2Move and mount the battery with lifting aids, it is very heavy
  • Lifting and carrying heavy loads
High
  • Plan to avoid carrying: have materials delivered, and old items picked up, as close as possible to where they are used. Elimination
  • Use lighter or smaller loads: order smaller bags and shorter lengths, and drain or break down old items before moving them. Substitution
  • Use trolleys, pallet jacks, hoists, vacuum lifters or plant instead of carrying by hand. Engineering
  • Use a two-person lift for anything heavy, long or awkward. Plan the route first and clear it. Administrative
  • Keep the load close, back straight and no twisting. Turn with your feet. Administrative
  • Rotate tasks and take breaks on long lifting jobs. Administrative
  • Wear gloves for grip and safety boots to protect your feet. PPE
Medium
3Isolate all sources, apply lockout/tagout and prove dead
  • Electric shock from live wiring
  • Stored energy
Critical
  • Isolate the power before any work. Do not work live. Elimination
  • Lock out and tag the disconnecting means with your own personal lock and tag so the circuit cannot be energized (29 CFR 1926.417). Engineering (guarding)
  • Test before you touch: prove dead at the point of work with a tested voltage tester. Engineering
  • Only qualified persons work on or near exposed energized parts. Administrative
  • Check for back feeds from solar, batteries and generators that can keep a circuit live after the main switch is off. Administrative
  • If energized work cannot be avoided, use an energized work permit, a safety observer and insulated tools, following NFPA 70E. Administrative
  • Wear insulated gloves, arc-rated clothing and a face shield when testing or working near live parts. PPE
  • Release or block all stored energy before work: release the pressure in pipes, tanks and hoses, bleed hydraulics, release springs, lower loads. Elimination
  • Lock out and tag all energy sources with personal locks. Engineering (guarding)
  • Put mechanical blocks or props under raised parts like buckets, tipper bodies and doors. Engineering
  • Test that the system is dead and nothing can move before you start. Administrative
  • Follow the maker's procedure, for example for garage door and roller door springs. Administrative
  • Wear safety glasses and gloves. PPE
Medium
4Connect battery and inverter, treating battery terminals as always live
  • Electric shock from live wiring
  • Stored energy
Critical
  • Electric shock from live wiring: see step 3 for the full controls Administrative
  • Stored energy: see step 3 for the full controls Administrative
Medium
5Commission, label and clean up
  • Poor housekeeping and waste
Medium
  • Order materials to size and send packaging back where you can. Elimination
  • Put dumpsters and waste chutes close to the work. Engineering
  • Clean as you go, and do a full clean up at the end of each day. Administrative
  • Keep exits, stairs and walkways clear at all times. Administrative
  • Stack materials neatly on level ground, away from edges. Administrative
  • Wear gloves when handling waste. PPE
Low

PPE

Safety-toe boots (ASTM F2413)Rubber insulating glovesSafety glasses (ANSI Z87.1)Arc flash PPE (NFPA 70E)Work gloves

Plant and equipment

Power drillElectrical test meterHand tools

Permits and plans

Lockout/tagout (1926.417)

Emergency

Call 911. Add the nearest hospital, the assembly point and the first aid / cpr person for your site.

Sign-off

Supervisor and every worker sign to confirm they have read and understood this JHA.

Free JHA template for battery storage installation

Word (.docx) and PDF, Letter landscape, no email needed. Fill in your site details, then print or send it.

Word template (.docx)PDF template

Make yours in 2 minutes

Same document, filled in for your job. Answer a few yes or no questions, the crew signs on the phone, and you send the PDF.

Start this JHA

Pre-start checklist for battery storage installation

Tick these off before work starts. They come from the hazards, permits and equipment in this job.

The safe sequence of work

  1. Check the location meets clearance and fire rules
  2. Move and mount the battery with lifting aids, it is very heavy
  3. Isolate all sources, apply lockout/tagout and prove dead
  4. Connect battery and inverter, treating battery terminals as always live
  5. Commission, label and clean up

Hazards to watch on battery storage installation

The hazards most specific to this job, and the step where each one comes up.

Step 1Fire and emergenciesA fire, injury or other emergency happens and workers cannot get out, raise the alarm or get first aid in time.
Step 3, 4Stored energyEnergy left in springs, hydraulics, compressed gas, raised loads or capacitors releases suddenly and crushes or injures workers.
Step 3, 4Electric shock from live wiringContact with energized wires, electrical panels or equipment gives an electric shock or arc flash burn that can kill.
Step 2Lifting and carrying heavy loadsLifting, carrying, pushing or twisting with heavy or awkward loads strains the back, shoulders or knees.
Step 5Poor housekeeping and wasteTrash, offcuts and materials left lying around cause trips, cuts and fires, and block exits.
Almost certainLikelyPossibleUnlikelyRareHow bad it could be: First aid only to FatalityBA
Highest risk on battery storage installation: Critical before controls (B), down to Medium after controls (A), on the United States 5 by 5 risk matrix (possible and fatality becomes unlikely and recordable / lost time).

What changes on your site

This example covers the job itself. Your site may add more. Add controls for any of these that apply (the builder asks you these as yes or no questions):

  • Will anyone work 6 feet or more above a lower level?
  • Will anyone use a ladder or stepladder?
  • Will anyone work on a roof?
  • Is there a skylight, fiberglass panel or other fragile roofing?
  • Will you use a scaffold or rolling tower?

Why JHAs get rejected

General contractors send documents back for these reasons. This example avoids them, but check yours too.

  • Generic steps such as "work safely" or "use PPE" with no task-specific hazards or controls.
  • No OSHA standards referenced for the hazards that have them, such as fall protection, ladders, scaffolds or silica.
  • No competent person named for fall protection, excavation, scaffolds or silica where those hazards exist.
  • Equipment listed without inspection requirements, and no training listed for the people using it.
  • Respirators listed with no respiratory protection program, medical clearance or fit test.
  • Controls rely only on PPE when engineering controls such as guardrails, wet cutting or extraction are feasible.
  • No crew sign-off, or no date and revision when the job has changed.

Questions

Do I need a JHA for battery storage installation?

OSHA expects employers to find and control hazards on every job, and many general contractors require a written JHA for battery storage installation before you start.

Who signs the JHA?

The supervisor or competent person who prepared it signs, and every crew member signs to show they were trained on the hazards and controls before the job starts. Many general contractors also sign to accept it.

How long do I keep it?

Keep this JHA on site during the job, and keep it with the training and inspection records for at least 1 year after the job (longer if your state plan or general contractor requires it). OSHA does not set a retention period for JHAs themselves.

What PPE is needed for battery storage installation?

Usually Safety-toe boots (ASTM F2413), Rubber insulating gloves, Safety glasses (ANSI Z87.1), Arc flash PPE (NFPA 70E), Work gloves. The site rules may add more, so check with the general contractor.

More solar JHAs

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Blank JHA template: free JHA templates. Also for other countries: Australia (SWMS) · United Kingdom (RAMS) · Canada (FLHA)

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