The winter weather has really started to kick in with some torrential rains, incredibly cold spells and high winds. All of these are certainly a challenge for anyone who is employed in the field of construction. These types of conditions all increase the risk of accidents, or worse fatalities, occurring. Cold weather also exposes your workers to health issues such as frostbite or hypothermia.
It is the responsibility of the construction site manager to ensure that all of their site employees are warm and safe whilst they are on the site, particularly during any poor weather conditions. Winter safety on construction sites requires investment to ensure the health and safety of employees.
Welfare cabins
It is important to ensure that you have somewhere on-site where your construction workers can escape from the wet and cold outdoor conditions, warm up and have a hot beverage or some food. Construction site hire of welfare cabins is the best option for most construction companies as it allows them the flexibility to tailor their site cabins to the needs of their team.
As a minimum, you should aim to have somewhere that your construction workers can sit down and take their breaks. Running water for hot drinks and access to a microwave are also important for hot food.
In addition, it is also important to provide toilet facilities with handwashing facilities, and shower facilities can be a good option as an option for those construction workers who get very wet, cold and muddy. That way, they can get clean, warm up and put on dry clothing. Many welfare cabins also have a drying room, which can also be a good option for damp Hi-Viz clothing and boots.
Regular breaks
Whilst it may seem that regular breaks would reduce work output, the opposite is, in fact, the case during colder weather. Reaction times are slower when people are cold, wet, or both and this means that they will not only be slower doing their work but that there is also a greater chance of accidents occurring.
Having the chance to rest and get warm will help to increase productivity whilst ensuring that all of your workforce keep safe. Make sure that you are rotating your staff to allow for these extra breaks, and consider adding heaters to your welfare cabins as well.
Prepare the site
In the bad winter weather, a construction site can be a slipper place and the risk of slips and falls is increased. This can make it much harder for people to get around without having an accident, so ensure that you have created dedicated pathways and walkways that will provide a safe space for moving around the site. You should also consider using grit on your site in order to help ensure that these pathways remain clear and safe. Adding roofs above any of your high-traffic walkways will help to protect them from getting too wet and slippery.
Winterproof your vehicles
One final thing to consider is making sure that all of your vehicles and equipment can function effectively in winter conditions. This includes things like winterising hydraulic fluids and engine oils so that machinery does not malfunction or fail and using an anti-freeze tool lubricant on any of your pneumatic tools in order to protect them from the type of damage that is caused by the cold.
You should also equip your vehicles with things like spare tires, snow tires, chains, and jump leads so that they are fully equipped to deal with the cold weather.
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