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Solar · United States

JHA for solar panel detach and reset

By SiteSortedBuilt 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 solar panel detach and reset 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 falling from a roof edge, electric shock from live wiring, falling from a ladder and lifting and carrying heavy loads.

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JHA example: solar panel detach and reset

This is a complete JHA for solar panel detach and reset, 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)
Solar panel removal and reinstall · Solar · Example
Document JHA-001 · Rev 1

Job steps, hazards and controls

#Job stepHazardsRisk beforeControlsRisk after
1Shut down the system and isolate AC and DC
  • 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
2Set up edge protection and roof access
  • Falling from a roof edge
  • Falling from a ladder
Critical
  • Do what you can from the ground or from a scaffold at the gutter line, for example pre-assemble parts on the ground. Elimination
  • Install edge protection or guardrails on all open roof edges before work starts. Engineering (guarding)
  • Use a perimeter scaffold with handrails and toe boards along the eaves where practical. Engineering
  • Where guardrails cannot be fitted, use fall restraint on certified roof anchors so workers cannot reach the edge. Engineering
  • Low-slope roofs: guardrails, safety nets, personal fall arrest, or a warning line combined with one of these or with a safety monitor (a safety monitor alone only on roofs 50 feet wide or less). Steep roofs: guardrails with toe boards, safety nets or personal fall arrest (29 CFR 1926.501(b)(10), (11)). Administrative
  • Use one safe, controlled access point and keep others off the roof. Administrative
  • Stop roof work in strong wind or rain, and when the roof is wet, icy or covered in dust or frost. Administrative
  • Wear a harness clipped to a rated anchor when using restraint or fall arrest, and soft-soled non-slip boots. PPE
  • Use a platform ladder, mobile scaffold or aerial lift for longer jobs instead of a straight ladder. Substitution
  • Use Type I, IA or IAA ladders in good condition. Tag and remove any damaged ladder. Engineering
  • Set extension ladders at a 4 to 1 angle on firm, level ground, secured, and reaching 3 feet above the landing. Engineering
  • Use ladders only for short, light work. Do not carry heavy or awkward loads up a ladder. Administrative
  • Keep three points of contact and your belt buckle between the stiles. Do not overreach. Administrative
  • Do not stand on the top three rungs of an extension ladder or the top step of a stepladder. Administrative
  • Check the ladder before each use: feet, rungs, side rails and locks. Administrative
  • Wear non-slip safety boots with clean soles. PPE
Medium
3Disconnect panels, covering connectors
  • Electric shock from live wiring
Critical
  • Electric shock from live wiring: see step 1 for the full controls Administrative
Medium
4Lower panels by hoist and store them flat
  • Lifting and carrying heavy loads
  • Falling tools and materials
  • Glass handling and breakage
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
  • Barricade and sign the drop zone under overhead work so nobody walks beneath. Engineering (guarding)
  • Fit toe boards, kick plates and mesh screens on scaffolds and edges. Engineering
  • Use catch fans, debris netting or covered walkways where people pass below. Engineering
  • Tether hand tools when working at height. Engineering
  • Keep platforms tidy. Do not stack materials near edges or above toe board height. Administrative
  • Use suction lifters, glass trolleys or a glazing robot for large panes. Engineering
  • Store glass upright on racks and secure it. Never lay it flat or lean it loosely. Engineering
  • Use two or more people for large panes, and clear the carry route first. Administrative
  • Mark new glass with tape or stickers so nobody walks into it. Administrative
  • Clean up broken glass straight away into a marked container. Administrative
Medium
5Reinstall, test and recommission
  • Electric shock from live wiring
  • Poor housekeeping and waste
Critical
  • Electric shock from live wiring: see step 1 for the full controls Administrative
  • 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
Medium

PPE

Safety-toe boots (ASTM F2413)Personal fall arrest system (harness)Rubber insulating glovesSafety glasses (ANSI Z87.1)Arc flash PPE (NFPA 70E)Work glovesSun protection (sunscreen, hat, long sleeves)Hard hat (ANSI Z89.1)Cut-resistant gloves

Plant and equipment

Extension ladderSupported scaffold: Erected under a competent person (29 CFR 1926.451)Electrical test meterHand tools

Permits and plans

Lockout/tagout (1926.417)Written fall protection plan (only where guardrails, nets or personal fall arrest are not feasible, 1926.502(k))

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 solar panel detach and reset

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 solar panel detach and reset

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

The safe sequence of work

  1. Shut down the system and isolate AC and DC
  2. Set up edge protection and roof access
  3. Disconnect panels, covering connectors
  4. Lower panels by hoist and store them flat
  5. Reinstall, test and recommission

Hazards to watch on solar panel detach and reset

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

Step 4Glass handling and breakageGlass panes break while being moved or fitted, causing deep cuts, or heavy panels fall and crush.
Step 1Stored energyEnergy left in springs, hydraulics, compressed gas, raised loads or capacitors releases suddenly and crushes or injures workers.
Step 2Falling from a roof edgeA worker slips or walks off the edge of a roof or gutter line and falls to the ground.
Step 2Falling from a ladderThe ladder slips or tips, or the worker overreaches, and they fall onto a hard surface.
Step 4Falling tools and materialsTools, materials or debris fall from above and hit someone working or walking below.
Step 1, 3, 5Electric shock from live wiringContact with energized wires, electrical panels or equipment gives an electric shock or arc flash burn that can kill.
Almost certainLikelyPossibleUnlikelyRareHow bad it could be: First aid only to FatalityBA
Highest risk on solar panel detach and reset: Critical before controls (B), down to Medium after controls (A), on the United States 5 by 5 risk matrix (likely and fatality becomes unlikely and serious 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 6 feet or more above a lower level?
  • Will anyone work on a roof?
  • Is there a skylight, fiberglass panel or other fragile roofing?
  • Will you use a scaffold or rolling tower?
  • Will you use an aerial lift (scissor lift or boom lift)?

Licences and legal requirements in United States

Equipment on this job that needs a licence, ticket or training:

  • Supported scaffold: Erected under a competent person (29 CFR 1926.451)

OSHA requires employers to find and fix hazards and to train workers on them. A JHA breaks the job into steps, lists the hazards in each step and the controls that protect the crew. General contractors often require one before you start.

Rules that apply: 29 CFR 1926 Subpart K; 29 CFR 1926 Subpart M; 29 CFR 1926 Subpart X; 29 CFR 1926.501(c).

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 solar panel detach and reset?

OSHA expects employers to find and control hazards on every job, and many general contractors require a written JHA for solar panel detach and reset 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 solar panel detach and reset?

Usually Safety-toe boots (ASTM F2413), Personal fall arrest system (harness), Rubber insulating gloves, Safety glasses (ANSI Z87.1), Arc flash PPE (NFPA 70E), Work gloves, Sun protection (sunscreen, hat, long sleeves), Hard hat (ANSI Z89.1), Cut-resistant gloves. The site rules may add more, so check with the general contractor.

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

Sources