Solar Panel Installation SWMS

For solar installers, electrical contractors and builders fitting rooftop solar PV to homes and commercial buildings. It follows the job in order, from roof assessment and fall protection to rails, panels, cabling, isolation, inverter connections, commissioning and handover, and keeps licensed electrical work separate from the mounting work.

Roof work with a fall of more than 2 metres and work on energised electrical installations are high risk construction work (WHS Regulation s 291), so those two items are ticked and a SWMS is required before the work starts (s 299). Drilling concrete tiles or masonry can create silica dust, and the approved Queensland silica code treats construction work with a risk of silica exposure as work in an area that may have a contaminated atmosphere, so you can also tick that item (s 291(l)) when it applies.

Learn More: What Is A Safe Work Method Statement?
Have you ever been asked to provide a SWMS on a project in Queensland? Read our guide to what a Safe Work Method Statement is and when you need one.

What Is Covered In Our Solar Panel Installation SWMS?

The job steps run in the order the work is done, from pre-start checks to finishing up. The hazards and controls include:

• Falls from the roof edge, ladders and fragile roofing
• Panels blown by wind or dropped during lifts
• Contact with overhead and service power lines
• Electric shock from a PV array that cannot be switched off
• DC arcing from connectors and string cables
• Isolation and lock out of the supply and the array
• Electrical work done without the right licence
• Entering the roof space with live wiring
• Manual handling of large glass panels
• Hot panels, heat illness and sunburn
• Asbestos in old roofing and ceilings
• Drilling into hidden cables and pipes

High Risk Construction Work

These high risk construction work items (WHS Regulation 2011 (Qld) s 291) are already ticked because they are part of this work. Tick any others that apply to your job:

• Involves a risk of a person falling more than 2m
• Is carried out on or near energised electrical installations or services

Licences, Training and Competency

• Electrical contractor licence for the business that carries out the electrical work (Electrical Safety Act 2002 section 56; a business that only mounts the system and subcontracts the electrical work to a licensed electrical contractor is covered by section 56(3)(b)), with a register of the licensed workers it engages (section 57AB)
• Electrical work licence that authorises the work, for everyone who connects, terminates, earths, tests or supervises electrical work (Electrical Safety Act 2002 section 55): an electrical mechanic licence authorises all electrical work (Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 section 146)
• Apprentices and other training persons work only under a licensed electrical worker’s supervision (Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 section 307)
• Rescue and resuscitation competence for everyone who performs or helps with electrical work (Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 section 211)
• Clean Energy Council installer accreditation, if the client, retailer or finance provider asks for it (an industry scheme outside Queensland work health and safety and electrical safety law: named only)
• General construction induction training card (white card)
• Mounting installers trained in the racking system, who locate, mount and fix the rails and panels in place but make no electrical connections (Electrical Safety Act 2002 section 18(2))
• Fall protection and rescue training; a competent person to install travel restraint, approve anchors and inspect systems at least every 6 months
• High risk work licences: scaffolding where a person or object could fall more than 4 m, boom-type elevating work platform (boom 11 m or more), the class of any crane, forklift truck or vehicle loading crane (10 metre tonnes or more) lifting panels, and dogging or a higher rigging class for anyone slinging a load or directing a plant operator when the load is out of the operator’s view
• Site induction, including roof access and rescue rules

Legislation and Codes of Practice Referenced

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld)
• Electrical Safety Act 2002 (Qld): electrical equipment, electrical work, licences and the register of licensed workers (ss 14, 18, 55, 56, 57AA, 57AB)
• Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 (Qld): licence classes, roof space work, isolation, testing and certificates, generating plant, and overhead line exclusion zones in schedule 2
• Electrical Safety Code of Practice 2021 – Managing electrical risks in the workplace (isolation, locking off and testing; written for the earlier Regulation, so the 2026 sections are cited)
• Electrical Safety Code of Practice 2020 – Working near overhead and underground electric lines (distances come from the 2026 Regulation)
• Managing the Risk of Falls at Workplaces Code of Practice 2021
• Scaffolding Code of Practice 2021 (where scaffold gives roof access or edge protection)
• Hazardous Manual Tasks Code of Practice 2021
• Managing the Work Environment and Facilities Code of Practice 2021
• Managing Risks of Plant in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Mobile Crane Code of Practice 2024 (where a crane lifts panels)
• How to Manage and Control Asbestos in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021 (existing roofs, ceilings and switchboards)
• Managing respirable crystalline silica dust exposure in construction and manufacturing of construction elements Code of Practice 2022 (drilling masonry)
• First Aid in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• How to Manage Work Health and Safety Risks Code of Practice 2021
• Construction and Operation of Solar Farms Code of Practice 2024 (written for solar farms of 100 kW or more, not a rule for roof systems; read here as guidance only)
• WorkSafe Queensland guidance: Managing the risk of falls while working on roofs in housing construction (guidance, not a code)
• AS/NZS 3000 Electrical installations (the Wiring Rules), named in the Electrical Safety Regulation 2026
• AS/NZS 3012 Electrical installations – Construction and demolition sites (named in the Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 for electrical equipment used for the construction work, such as leads, tools and temporary wiring)
• AS/NZS 5033 Installation and safety requirements for photovoltaic (PV) arrays (named as a relevant standard in the Solar Farms Code; guidance for roof systems)
• AS/NZS 4777 Grid connection of energy systems via inverters (series) (named as a relevant standard in the Solar Farms Code; guidance for roof systems)

What You Get

• An editable Microsoft Word document (20 pages), laid out on A4 landscape pages
• Business, client, job and document details typed once and filled in on every page, plus a space for your logo
• The high risk construction work checklist, worded as WHS Regulation s 291, and the construction project question (s 292)
• A worker and health and safety representative consultation record
• Qualifications, plant, PPE, hazardous chemicals, safety equipment, permits, references and emergency arrangements filled in for this work
• A 5 x 5 risk matrix, and job steps with initial and residual risk scores and the people responsible
• Implementing, monitoring and review requirements, an additional controls log, revision history and a worker sign-on sheet

Review and adjust it for your site, your plant and the way your crew does the job, and talk it through with your workers before work starts. If you have any trouble downloading this SWMS, you can contact us at any time. Please make sure you read our Disclaimer before downloading this SWMS.