Solar Installer SSSP
An SSSP for rooftop solar, built around fall prevention, live DC and fragile-roof controls.
A solar installer SSSP is a Site-Specific Safety Plan for one job on one site. It sets out the solar installer hazards, the controls in the order required by reg 6 of the General Risk and Workplace Management Regulations 2016, task analyses for the higher-risk tasks, and how you meet your duties under HSWA 2015. It is what a New Zealand main contractor checks before your crew starts.
What a solar installer SSSP must cover
- •HSWA 2015 section 36: the PCBU must ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety of its workers and anyone else affected by the work
- •WorkSafe New Zealand Good Practice Guidelines for Working at Height: eliminate the fall risk first, then use scaffolds, edge protection or a total restraint system before fall arrest
- •AS/NZS 3000: electrical installations (wiring rules) as applied under the Electricity (Safety) Regulations
- •AS/NZS 1891: industrial fall-arrest systems for rooftop work
- •DC strings cannot be fully de-energised in daylight, so live-work controls apply under reg 6
- •HSWA 2015 section 34: consult, co-operate and co-ordinate with the main contractor and the other PCBUs on site (the 3Cs)
Common solar installer hazards
- Falls from roofs and ladders
- Live DC shock from energised strings
- Fragile and brittle roof surfaces
- Manual handling of panels on ladders and roofs
- Battery storage hazards
Task analyses included
Your SSSP comes with task analyses for the higher-risk tasks. The Trade Pack (NZ$149) includes the full library below plus a toolbox talk set.
- ✓Rooftop panel installation with edge protection
- ✓Panel lifting and loading onto the roof
- ✓DC wiring and string connection (live-work controls)
- ✓Inverter and switchboard connection
- ✓Battery energy storage installation
- ✓Fall-prevention system setup (rails, restraint, arrest)
- ✓EWP use for two-storey installs
- ✓Working on fragile or brittle roof surfaces
What the main contractor expects
- •An SSSP that prevents the fall first, before relying on a harness
- •A live-DC task analysis for string connection in daylight
- •Fragile-roof controls where the surface will not bear a person
- •Registration and licence details for the electrical work
- •A manual-handling method for moving panels at height
Get your solar installer SSSP, sorted in minutes
Answer a few questions about your site and crew. We write your SSSP against HSWA 2015 and the General Risk and Workplace Management Regulations 2016, check it, and email it, ready to hand over.
SSSP Pack
NZ$89 one-time
A personalised SSSP with your hazard register, task analyses and emergency plan.
Trade Pack
NZ$149 one-time
The SSSP plus the full task-analysis library for your trade and a toolbox talk set.
One-time payment in NZ$. No subscription. Free revisions within 24 hours.
Solar Installer SSSP: common questions
Why does a solar SSSP treat DC as live work?
Solar panels generate DC voltage whenever there is daylight, so a string cannot be fully de-energised while you connect it. The SSSP includes a live-DC task analysis with sequencing, insulated tools and test-before-touch, controlled under the hierarchy in reg 6.
What comes first, the harness or the platform?
The platform or edge protection. A harness is fall arrest, near the bottom of the hierarchy. A solar SSSP that a main contractor will accept prevents the fall with edge protection or a work platform first, and uses fall arrest only where preventing the fall is not reasonably practicable.