With winter right around the corner, it is time to begin putting the techniques into place to ensure safety on your job site. Conditions on construction projects can get slippery, icy and cold without warning. Here are some tips to stay safe in winter conditions.
Taking care of the large machinery in these conditions is a great way to start with safety preparations. For your cranes, using crane mats to provide consistent stability is incredibly important. As ground freezes and thaws during the starting days of winter, your crane could sink right into the ground if it isn’t properly staged. Utilizing a crane mat on your job site will ensure a level workspace for you to work on with your heavy equipment.
Before even starting the day, supervisors should walk the construction site to look out for potential hazards for employees. Many problems can occur overnight, such as the formation of dangerous icicles that can fall on workers below, not to mention snow accumulation that can hide small obstacles or ice that can cause slick conditions on the ground. By taking this step you can have more peace of mind before the day even begins. Once workers are on site, there should be a crew in place that will mind the snowfall and take care of salting and/or sanding walkways to clear them of ice.
Your employees should also take special preparations for winter as well. Make sure that your workers are wearing boots with non-slip or non-skid soles and dress in several layers of clothing to stay warm. Using laminated mats on your job site can also help provide traction along walkways or equipment pathways, and offers protection and stability on the ground or over flooring where workers may be coming and going from covered work areas.
Making sure that workers know the signs of frostbite and hypothermia can go a long way, too, and if your site allows, keeping a warming station for workers to get a respite from the elements for brief periods can help them take refuge from the cold air and get their body temperatures regulated once again.
The safety of workers on any construction site should be the No. 1 concern year round, and even more so in the winter. The difficult seasonal conditions can make work much more difficult, and just one misstep can lead to a preventable injury. Follow the recommendations above and have a safe winter on the job site.
