Winter weather has the potential to hit hard, with strong winds, low temperatures, and of course, lots of rain. All of these factors can cause hazards for you and your workers. From trips and slips, to numb fingers and damaged gear and equipment, cold temperatures call for specific measures to ensure that your workplace is safe during the cold and wet winter months.
Work doesn’t stop when winter weather rolls in, so it’s important to know what to do to keep your workers safe and warm.
Winter checks and inspections
When the winter weather starts rolling through it’s important for you to inspect your workplace. If you are somewhere that experiences heavy rain, make sure that you identify and address, where possible, all wet and muddy surfaces, platforms and walkways that are used. If strong winds are forecast, check that all materials have been stacked and secured to prevent anything from falling or blowing away. It’s crucial to stress the importance of fall protection when wet and windy conditions are present. To ensure your site is safe, complete a Site Review using your HazardCo App.
Winter driving accidents
Vehicle accidents don’t just happen on the roads, they can also happen within the work site. Highlight to your team that winter driving rules for the road also apply to your workplace and it’s important that they take care while operating work vehicles and equipment. To ensure your vehicles are safe for the road, complete a Vehicle checklist using your HazardCo App.
Watch the weather
The last thing you need is for the weather to catch you by surprise. Keep an eye on the weather forecast, so your workers can prioritise the work that will be affected should the weather take a turn for the worse, and that they have the right gear to be able to do the job safely.
The right PPE makes a difference
Be vigilant when ensuring that workers are wearing proper PPE and suitable clothing when winter weather conditions are present.
- Safety helmets and hard hats should be worn where applicable, to protect workers in the case of a fall, as well as from falling objects. Using liners under headgear is a great way to stay warm and keep body heat from escaping. Use chin straps to avoid safety headgear falling off in windy conditions.
- Safety glasses and goggles can be treated with anti-fog spray to prevent vision from becoming obstructed.
- Gloves need to be carefully selected to ensure that workers will still have a good range of movement when working with tools and equipment.
- Waterproof boots with non-slip soles should be worn along with two layers of socks to keep moisture away from the skin.
Follow these tips to optimise your crew’s safety so you can enjoy a productive winter while keeping your team safe.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
Summer is here, are you prepared for the heat?
Summer is here – longer days, sunshine, and the outdoors sound like the perfect conditions to get all that work done. It doesn’t matter what time of year it is, hazards and risks are forever present and summer brings with it its own risks.
Have you thought about what you are doing to protect your team from the effects of the summer sun and heat?
“Slip, Slop, Slap, Seek and Slide” to minimise the obvious risks of sunburn and skin cancer, but we also need to be aware of the risk of heat exhaustion, dehydration and fatigue.
Check out this resource from the Cancer Council that gives some handy tips for working outdoors.
Heat exhaustion
Heat exhaustion occurs when our bodies overheat from the loss of water and salt due to sweating. If left untreated it can lead to heat stroke.
Heat stroke
Heat stroke occurs when the body is no longer able to keep itself cool causing a high body temperature of 39.4 degrees or more.
Heat rash and heat cramps are earlier stages of the onset of heat exhaustion. Knowing the signs and what to do will help prevent the onset of heat exhaustion or worse, heat stroke.
Managing the risks
- Planning is key – With the sun at its peak between 10am-4pm, make sure you take regular breaks within this time and where possible arrange work that can be done in covered or shaded areas to be completed during this time period.
- Stay hydrated – Drink plenty of water, even when you’re not thirsty, to replace the fluids lost through perspiration.
- Slip, Slop, Slap, Seek and Slide: Do this at all times when working out under the sun, even on overcast days as the sun’s rays can still affect you
- Slip on sun protective clothing. Choose clothing that covers as much skin as possible (e.g. shirts with long sleeves and high necks/collars) and is made from close weave materials such as cotton, polyester/cotton and linen.
- Slop on SPF 30 or higher sunscreen. Apply sunscreen to clean, dry skin at least 20 minutes before you go outside and reapply every two hours.
- Slap on a hat. A broad-brimmed or bucket-style hat provides good protection for the face, nose, neck and ears. Try not to wear caps and visors as they do not provide enough protection.
- Seek shade. Whatever form of shade you use, make sure it casts a dark shadow and use other forms of protection to avoid reflected UV radiation from nearby surfaces.
- Slide on some sunglasses. Sunglasses should be worn outside during daylight hours. Choose close-fitting wrap-around sunglasses that meet the Australian Standard AS 1067.
- Take it easy – Don’t overdo things. Keep strenuous tasks to a minimum and regularly rotate work tasks.
- Listen to your body – Just because the weather is nice and you can work longer to get those jobs done doesn’t mean that you should. Fatigue affects your mental and physical capabilities making it harder for you to concentrate. When we lack concentration is when incidents can occur.
- Discussing the effects of the Sun (UV and Heat) at your Toolbox meetings is a great way to remind everyone of this often overlooked environmental hazard. You can easily record your toolbox meetings using the HazardCo App.
First Aid recommendations
If someone is showing signs or symptoms of a heat-related illness, Safe Work Australia has a great resource that gives some handy tips on first aid treatment options. Click here to learn more.
Note: Workers who have underlying medical conditions or health issues can make them more susceptible to heat related illness.
Need Help?
As always, if you have any questions or would like to discuss your work hazards, give our Health and Safety Advisory team a call on 1800 954 702.
When you’re able to get back on site after a flood or storm, here are the hazards, risks and control measures you should consider to help reduce the risk of injury and illness to yourself, your workers and others involved in the clean up and repair effort.
Some common hazards following a storm or flood:
- Electrical – Water damage, loss of power, damaged electrical installations
- Biological hazards and fauna – Contaminated floodwater and displaced fauna
- Asbestos – Damaged building materials that contain asbestos
- Slips, trips and falls – Uneven surfaces from storm/ floods
- Hazardous chemicals – Buried, moved or damaged hazardous chemical containers including corrosives, oils, pesticides
- Psychological stress – Remember to check on your team, the emotional impacts of a storm or flood can be overwhelming, particularly if they are dealing with personal damage
Risk Management
- Identify the hazards – What are the hazards on your site including any newly introduced hazards due to the storm or flood?
- Assess the level of risk – What is the likelihood of exposure to the hazard, and the consequences (what harm could be done)?
- Control the risk – Identify and implement suitable control measures and ensure the risk has been reduced to an acceptable level prior to undertaking related work.
- Review the control measures – Regularly assess how effective the controls are. It’s important to stop work and reassess if conditions change or if you have introduced any new hazards.
Safety tips when undertaking the cleanup and repair work
- Work out the order of the work to be done so that new risks are not introduced, e.g. if you move things in the wrong order is there a possibility of creating instability.
- Ensure surfaces are stable and access to areas with unstable floors are safe.
- Have a licensed electrical contractor check any electrical appliances or equipment you suspect has been submerged or damaged.
- Check in and under objects before attempting to move them as snakes, spiders and other undomesticated animals may be taking refuge from flood waters.
- Consider workers performing cleanup in teams/ pairs where possible.
- Wash your hands well before eating and drinking, after contact with mud, flood water and contaminated items and equipment.
- Make sure that workers have the correct personal protective equipment to prevent injuries such as cuts and scratches or infections from contaminated flood water.
- Check that your workers and contractors are not fatigued or potentially unfit to work, i.e due to mental health stressors.
- Agree on what situations workers should remove themselves from, where the risk cannot be reduced to an acceptable level. Some work may have to be delayed until water subsides and other factors.
- Ensure emergency procedures are discussed for the site with all workers.
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Winter weather has the potential to hit hard, with strong winds, low temperatures, and of course, lots of rain. All of these factors can cause hazards for you and your workers. From trips and ...
Summer is here, are you prepared for the heat?
Summer is here - longer days, sunshine, and the outdoors sound like the perfect conditions to get all that work done. It doesn't matter what ...
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]When you're able to get back on site after a flood or storm, here are the hazards, risks and control measures you should consider to help reduce the risk of ...
