Construction & Contractors Blog
If your building project needs to be carried out during the autumn, here are a few safety tips that you should bear in mind.
1. Sweep away any wet leaves that land on the scaffolding platforms on a regular basis.
On wet, blustery autumn days, the scaffolding you erect on your site may quickly end up covered in soggy, fallen leaves. When this happens, it is essential for your construction crew, who use the scaffolding, to quickly sweep up these leaves. The reason for this is as follows: the platforms that serve as the scaffolding's floors are usually made from timber. If wet leaves are left on these platforms for extended periods of time, the wood, from which these platforms are made, is not given a chance to dry out, so it could begin to rot. This could create a highly dangerous work environment for the construction crew who stand and place heavy work tools on these platforms, as a rotting piece of timber may not be able to support the weight of these people and their equipment.
For example, if a platform rots and deteriorates to the point where it can no longer bear much weight, it could snap when someone steps on it or when they lay their tools on top of it. This could result in not only the serious injury of that person falling down the scaffolding to the next platform underneath them, but it could also lead to anyone who is standing on the lower platform to be crushed by the falling worker. Likewise, if the weight of some heavy tools causes a rotting, wooden platform to break, these tools could fall onto the heads of those in the platform below and injure them.
2. Use the right tools and footwear when working outdoors on rainy days.
Working outdoors on a construction site in the autumn can be challenging, largely because of the rain spells that occur so often during this time of the year. However, having access to the right type of footwear and tools can minimise the risk of injury these weather conditions put on construction workers.
For example, the soil on a building site can often become very muddy and slippery when it rains. This can increase the risk of workers slipping, which could be particularly dangerous if they are carrying sharp tools when this happens, and even put them at risk of conditions like trench foot, where a person's foot tissue sustains serious damage as a result of prolonged exposure to moisture. The risk of these problems occurring can be greatly reduced if the workers have access to waterproof footwear that features deep treads, as the treads provide traction that can help the wearer not to slip. Similarly, workers should be provided with power tools that are designed specifically for outdoor use, as these are usually waterproof. This can drastically reduce the likelihood of people being electrocuted when using things like angle grinders and drills outdoors, in the rain.
Share8 April 2019
Hello, my name is Colin and this is my construction blog. When people think of the construction industry, they often just imagine guys in hard hats building brick walls. While this is a popular image of the industry, it doesn't reflect the true diversity of different contractors and tradesmen who are involved in a construction project. Lasy year, my wife and I decided to construct our dream home. I had to arrange visits of plumbers, roofers, electricians, surveyors and home builders in order to get the job done. I learnt a lot during that experience, so I decided to start this blog.