Top tips to help combat icy work sites
Winter weather brings hazards to construction sites and with the winter weather being unpredictable you should take all necessary precautions to keep your workers and your site safe.
Wind, freezing rain and ice can make construction sites dangerous and can cause site accidents and injuries.
Cold spells
Keeping your workers warm whilst they are working in the elements is important for their health. We recommend providing warm layers, in particular high-visibility items, warm and protective safety shoes with hats and gloves.
Our thermal helmet liners prevents workers from wearing incompatible and dangerous alternatives such as hoodies underneath their helmets. It provides all day comfort and warmth.
Slips, trips and falls in ice and snow
Falls can happen all year round however winter weather increases this risk due to wet and slippery surfaces. Treating these areas can prevent workers hurting themselves.
We recommend;
- assessing the risk and putting a plan in place
- map out areas with high footfall
- keep an eye on the weather
- take action when temperatures below 0 degrees are forecast
- use grit on areas that are walked on. Our grit spreader makes this job quick and easy
- cover walkways where possible to stop them freezing
- close off areas that are slippy until the weather warms up
Try to limit exposure to the elements where possible. This can include;
- Shielding areas from high winds and rain/snow
- Providing areas to warm up, especially during break times
- If the weather is really bad break up working times into smaller segments to allow for workers to warm up
- Provide the correct PPE, including thermal items
- Educate employees on keeping safe on site
Gritting
Rock salt is the most common product used to de-ice floors, it provides a quick, easy and cheap method to keep walkways safe.
Salt can stop ice forming and cause in place ice or snow to melt. You should carry out gritting when ice or snow is forecast or if the area has been rained on and it is likely to freeze overnight. Please remember that salt does not work instantly anddoes take time to dissolve into the moisture on the ground.
FixFirm stocks plenty of items to keep your site safe, from protective clothing and footwear to heaters to grit spreaders and much more we have you covered.
Give us a call on 0800 594 44 44 for product recommendations or take a look on our website. BACK TO ARTICLES
