Home Battery Storage Installation — Safe Work Method Statement
Safe Work Method Statement for installing residential battery energy storage systems (BESS), including wall or floor mounting of battery modules, DC and AC connection to hybrid or battery inverters, and commissioning, in line with AS/NZS 5139 and AS/NZS 3000.
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Home battery installation is work on or near energised electrical installations, which makes it high risk construction work (HRCW) under the model WHS Regulations and means a SWMS is required before work starts. The key difference from most electrical work is that a battery cannot be fully isolated: the cells hold their charge whether the breakers are on or off, and modules often arrive from the factory partly charged. Treat every battery terminal, DC bus bar and DC cable as live for the whole job.
The hazards specific to battery work are DC arc flash and burns from shorting terminals with a tool or a watch strap, thermal runaway and fire from damaged or incorrectly installed cells, and manual handling injuries. Individual lithium modules and all-in-one units commonly weigh 50 to 120 kg and are often mounted at chest height on a garage or external wall. Location is also a safety control. AS/NZS 5139 sets restrictions on where a battery system can go, such as keeping it out of habitable rooms, ceiling spaces, under stairways and escape routes, and sets clearances to doors, windows, vents and other appliances. Check the location against the standard and the manufacturer's manual before you mount anything.
The work must be done by a licensed electrician holding the electrical licence required in your state or territory, and to AS/NZS 3000 and AS/NZS 5139. Most battery rebate and incentive schemes also require the installer to hold current battery installer accreditation, so check the current scheme rules. The network operator usually needs a connection or export application approved before commissioning, and the inverter must be set to the operator's settings.
Your SWMS must cover the DC work sequence (insulated tools, terminal covers on until connection, no jewellery), how modules are lifted and mounted, the fire and thermal runaway response, and the isolation and shutdown procedure for the hybrid inverter and any existing solar array, which stays live in daylight.
Customise this template with the battery make, model, chemistry and module weights, the mounting location and how it meets AS/NZS 5139 clearances, the lifting method and number of workers, the inverter and existing PV details, the network approval reference and the installer licence and accreditation numbers.
Personal Protective Equipment
High Risk Construction Work Types
- •Work on or near energised electrical installations or services
Risk Assessment
1.Site assessment and battery location check
| Hazard / Risk | Initial Risk | Control Measures | Residual Risk | Responsibility |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery installed in a non-compliant location increasing fire risk to occupants | High | Before ordering or mounting, check the proposed location against AS/NZS 5139 and the manufacturer's manual: not in a habitable room, ceiling space, under a stairway or in an escape path, and with the required clearances to doors, windows, vents, hot water units and gas meters. Confirm the wall is non-combustible or that the required barrier will be fitted. Record the location assessment with photos and keep it with the job file. | Low | Licensed Electrician |
| Wall or floor unable to support the battery weight | Moderate | Confirm the total installed weight from the specification sheet and check the wall construction (brick, block, timber stud, cladding) before marking out. Use the manufacturer's bracket and fixing schedule for that substrate. Where the wall is lightweight cladding or the unit exceeds the substrate rating, use a floor stand or fit a backing board fixed into studs as the manufacturer specifies. | Low | Licensed Electrician |
| Existing installation defects found during inspection | Moderate | Inspect the main switchboard, existing PV isolators and inverter for damage, heat marks or missing covers before starting. Do not connect a battery to a board with defects that affect safety. Notify the customer in writing and rectify before continuing. | Low | Licensed Electrician |
2.Unpacking and lifting battery modules into position
| Hazard / Risk | Initial Risk | Control Measures | Residual Risk | Responsibility |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Back or shoulder injury lifting 50 to 120 kg modules | High | Never lift a battery module alone. Use a two-person lift for units up to the weight set in your manual handling assessment and a battery lifter, platform trolley or mounting jig for heavier units. Move the pallet as close to the install point as possible before unpacking. Clear the access path of trip hazards. Fit the wall bracket first so the unit is lowered or slid onto it rather than held in place while fixing. | Moderate | Installer / Licensed Electrician |
| Damaged module dropped or crushed leading to later thermal runaway | High | Inspect packaging and modules for dents, swelling, leaks or impact damage before lifting. Do not install a module that has been dropped or shows damage. Quarantine it outdoors away from buildings and contact the supplier for return instructions. Keep terminal covers fitted throughout handling. | Low | Licensed Electrician |
3.Isolation of existing PV, inverter and switchboard
| Hazard / Risk | Initial Risk | Control Measures | Residual Risk | Responsibility |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electric shock from AC circuits at the switchboard | Catastrophic | Isolate the main switch and the solar supply main switch, apply personal lock and danger tag, and test for dead at the point of work with a proven tester (test the tester on a known source before and after). Treat adjacent circuits as live until tested. | Low | Licensed Electrician |
| Shock or arc from PV array DC that remains live in daylight | High | Turn off the PV array isolators and DC isolator at the inverter in the order the manufacturer specifies, then confirm zero DC voltage at the inverter terminals with a DC-rated meter. Remember the array is still energised on the roof side. Do not disconnect PV connectors under load. | Low | Licensed Electrician |
4.DC connection of battery to inverter
| Hazard / Risk | Initial Risk | Control Measures | Residual Risk | Responsibility |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DC arc flash or burns from shorting battery terminals | Catastrophic | Remove rings, watches and metal jewellery. Use insulated tools rated to 1000 V and keep terminal covers on every terminal not being worked on. Confirm the battery breaker or isolator is off before connection. Connect one polarity at a time, tape or cap the free cable end, and never let a tool bridge positive and negative. Wear arc-rated clothing, face shield and insulating gloves for the connection. | Moderate | Licensed Electrician |
| Reverse polarity or loose terminations causing overheating and fire | High | Verify polarity with a meter before the final connection. Torque all DC terminals to the manufacturer's values with a calibrated torque wrench and mark them. Use the cable size and protection specified in the design for the maximum DC current. Fit the DC isolator required by AS/NZS 5139 within reach of the battery and label it. | Low | Licensed Electrician |
5.AC connection, labelling and commissioning
| Hazard / Risk | Initial Risk | Control Measures | Residual Risk | Responsibility |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Backfeed from battery or inverter during grid outage or later maintenance | High | Connect backup circuits only through the inverter's backup output or a compliant changeover arrangement. Fit the shutdown procedure and all warning labels required by AS/NZS 5139 and AS/NZS 3000 at the switchboard, inverter and battery, including that the installation has more than one supply. Test the anti-islanding function by turning off the grid supply and confirming the export stops. | Low | Licensed Electrician |
| Incorrect inverter settings exporting outside network limits | Moderate | Apply the network operator's required inverter settings and export limit from the approved connection application. Record the settings and screenshot or photograph the commissioning screen. Do not commission until the network approval is received. | Low | Licensed Electrician |
| Overheating at terminations not found until after handover | Moderate | Run the system through a charge and discharge cycle and check all terminations for heat with a thermal camera or temperature probe. Complete insulation resistance, polarity and earth continuity tests and record results on the electrical certificate required in your state. | Low | Licensed Electrician |
6.Customer handover and site clean-up
| Hazard / Risk | Initial Risk | Control Measures | Residual Risk | Responsibility |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Owner unaware of shutdown or fire response procedure | Moderate | Walk the owner through the shutdown procedure, isolator locations and what to do if the battery alarms, smokes or swells (do not approach, evacuate and call 000). Leave the manufacturer's manual and the emergency procedure on site. Keep the area around the battery clear of stored items and combustibles. | Low | Licensed Electrician |
| Packaging, offcuts and damaged cells left on site | Low | Remove all packaging and cable offcuts. Return any damaged or quarantined modules to the supplier using their dangerous goods return process. Do not put lithium cells in general waste. | Low | Installer |
Relevant Codes of Practice
Worker Acknowledgement
By signing below, I confirm that I have read, understood and agree to comply with this Safe Work Method Statement.