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Solar · United Kingdom

Method statement for battery storage installation

By Safety PaperworkBuilt from HSE guidance and CDM 2015 · How we write and check theseUpdated

You must assess the risks of battery storage installation and record the significant findings if you employ 5 or more people. On CDM sites the principal contractor will ask for RAMS before you start.

RAMS cover the hazards, who could be harmed and how, the controls and the safe sequence of work, and the crew is briefed and signs. The main hazards are electric shock from live wiring, lifting and carrying heavy loads, fire and emergencies and stored energy.

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RAMS example: battery storage installation

This is a complete RAMS 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.

Risk Assessment and Method Statement (RAMS)
Home battery installation · Solar · Example
Document RAMS-001 · Rev 1

Risk assessment

#ActivityHazardsWho might be harmedRisk beforeControlsRisk after
1Check the location meets clearance and fire rules
  • Fire and emergencies
Workers, Occupants, VisitorsHigh (10)
  • Provide fire extinguishers suited to the site, checked and easy to reach. Control (engineering)
  • Keep exits and escape routes clear and signed. Control (engineering)
  • Have a site emergency plan: alarm, exits, assembly point and emergency contacts. Control (procedures)
  • Keep a stocked first aid kit and at least one trained first aider on site. Control (procedures)
  • Know the site address and how emergency services get in. Call 999. Control (procedures)
  • Go through the emergency plan with every worker and visitor at induction. Control (procedures)
  • Keep flammable materials and rubbish away from exits and escape routes. Control (procedures)
Medium (5)
2Move and mount the battery with lifting aids, it is very heavy
  • Lifting and carrying heavy loads
WorkersHigh (12)
  • Plan to avoid carrying: have materials delivered, and old items picked up, as close as possible to where they are used. Eliminate
  • Use lighter or smaller loads: order smaller bags and shorter lengths, and drain or break down old items before moving them. Reduce / substitute
  • Use trolleys, pallet jacks, hoists, vacuum lifters or plant instead of carrying by hand. Control (engineering)
  • Use a two-person lift for anything heavy, long or awkward. Plan the route first and clear it. Control (procedures)
  • Keep the load close, back straight and no twisting. Turn with your feet. Control (procedures)
  • Rotate tasks and take breaks on long lifting jobs. Control (procedures)
  • Wear gloves for grip and safety boots to protect your feet. PPE
Medium (6)
3Isolate all sources, lock off and label and prove dead
  • Electric shock from live wiring
  • Stored energy
Workers, OccupantsVery high (15)
  • Isolate the power before any work. Do not work live. Eliminate
  • Lock out and tag the isolation point with your own personal lock and danger tag. Isolate
  • Prove dead at the point of work with an approved voltage indicator (GS38), and prove the tester before and after. Control (engineering)
  • Only competent, qualified electricians do electrical work, following a safe isolation procedure. Control (procedures)
  • Check for back feeds from solar, batteries and generators that can keep a circuit live after the main switch is off. Control (procedures)
  • If live work cannot be avoided, use a permit, a safety observer and insulated tools. Control (procedures)
  • 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. Eliminate
  • Lock out and tag all energy sources with personal locks. Isolate
  • Put mechanical blocks or props under raised parts like buckets, tipper bodies and doors. Control (engineering)
  • Test that the system is dead and nothing can move before you start. Control (procedures)
  • Follow the maker's procedure, for example for garage door and roller door springs. Control (procedures)
  • Wear safety glasses and gloves. PPE
Medium (5)
4Connect battery and inverter, treating battery terminals as always live
  • Electric shock from live wiring
  • Stored energy
Workers, OccupantsVery high (15)
  • Electric shock from live wiring: see step 3 for the full controls Control (procedures)
  • Stored energy: see step 3 for the full controls Control (procedures)
Medium (5)
5Commission, label and clean up
  • Poor housekeeping and waste
Workers, VisitorsMedium (8)
  • Order materials to size and send packaging back where you can. Eliminate
  • Put skips and waste chutes close to the work. Control (engineering)
  • Clean as you go, and do a full clean up at the end of each day. Control (procedures)
  • Keep exits, stairs and walkways clear at all times. Control (procedures)
  • Stack materials neatly on level ground, away from edges. Control (procedures)
  • Use a registered waste carrier and keep waste transfer notes for at least 2 years. Keep hazardous waste such as asbestos separate, with consignment notes (special waste in Scotland). Control (procedures)
  • Wear gloves when handling waste. PPE
Low (4)

Method statement: 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, lock off and label and prove dead
  4. Connect battery and inverter, treating battery terminals as always live
  5. Commission, label and clean up

PPE

Safety bootsInsulated electrical glovesSafety glassesArc-rated clothing and face shieldRigger gloves

Plant and equipment

Power drillElectrical test equipment (multifunction tester)Hand tools

Permits and plans

Permit to work (electrical isolation)

Emergency

Call 999. Add the nearest A&E, the assembly point and the first aider for your site.

Sign-off

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

Free RAMS template for battery storage installation

Word (.docx) and PDF, A4 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 RAMS

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, lock off and label 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 live wires, distribution boards 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 wasteRubbish, offcuts and materials left lying around cause trips, cuts and fires, and block exits.
Very likelyLikelyPossibleUnlikelyVery unlikelyHow bad it could be: Negligible to FatalBA
Highest risk on battery storage installation: Very high before controls (B), down to Medium after controls (A), on the United Kingdom 5 by 5 risk matrix (possible and fatal becomes unlikely and lost time injury).

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 at height, anywhere a fall could hurt them?
  • Will anyone use a ladder or stepladder?
  • Will anyone work on a roof?
  • Is there a fragile roof, skylight or clear roof sheet?
  • Will you use a scaffold or mobile tower?

Why RAMS get rejected

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

  • The method statement is only a list of headings that repeats the risk table and never says how the work is done.
  • The method sequence does not match the risk assessment, for example the method strips the roof before the scaffold is handed over.
  • Residual risk is still High after controls with no extra measures or explanation.
  • It reads as copied: another firm, another address, or wording that does not fit UK sites. HSE warns that copying an example and adding your name does not satisfy the law.
  • Work on an older building with no reference to an asbestos survey.
  • Plant and access equipment listed with no inspection, thorough examination or competence evidence.
  • No briefing record, no revision history, or no named supervisor.

Questions

Do I need RAMS for battery storage installation?

You must assess the risks of battery storage installation and record the significant findings if you employ 5 or more people. On CDM sites the principal contractor will ask for RAMS before you start.

Who signs the RAMS?

The person who wrote it and the person who approved it sign and date it. Every worker signs the briefing register after it is explained to them, and the principal contractor reviews and accepts it before you start.

How long do I keep it?

Keep this RAMS, every revision and the signed briefing register with the site file for the length of the job, and keep a copy in your records afterwards.

What PPE is needed for battery storage installation?

Usually Safety boots, Insulated electrical gloves, Safety glasses, Arc-rated clothing and face shield, Rigger gloves. The site rules may add more, so check with the principal contractor.

More solar RAMS

RAMSSolar Panel Installation6 stepsRAMSCommercial Solar Installation6 stepsRAMSSolar Inverter Installation5 stepsRAMSSolar Panel Cleaning6 stepsRAMSSolar Panel Removal and Reinstall5 steps

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Toolbox talks for this job

Toolbox talkCrane and Lifting Safety

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

Sources