WEATHER Archives - HazardCo AU

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.

The holiday season is over and now it’s time to get back into the swing of things. Coming back to work and reopening your site is just as important as shutting it down. The New Year is the perfect opportunity to refocus and set the tone for the year ahead. Coming back to work after a couple of weeks off can give some people a serious case of Mondayitis, so consider taking the following steps on the first day back:

Hold a kick-off Toolbox meeting to re-brief the team

Rather than diving straight into work, start with a kick-off toolbox talk. This is an essential step to rebrief your team on the SSSP (Site-Specific Safety Plan), emergency procedures, and Safe Work Method Statements (SWMS). Use this time to check that all workers are fit for work and mentally prepared after the break.

Complete a Site Review to identify any new hazards

Perform a site review to identify any new hazards or potential risks that may have emerged during the downtime. Check that fences are still secure and containers are locked.

Inspect Structures, Scaffolding, and Excavations

After a break, it’s crucial to ensure all structures and scaffolds are intact. Inspect scaffolds, check excavations, and assess other infrastructure that may have been affected by weather conditions during your time off. Ensure everything is in working order before resuming normal operations.

Check Tools, Equipment, and Mobile Plant

Before use, inspect all tools and equipment to confirm they are in good condition. It’s also vital to pre-start mobile plant to ensure it’s functioning correctly.

Start Slow: Prioritize a Safe and Smooth Transition

Consider a soft start to your operations. Allow your team the time to properly check their work areas, inspect equipment, and remind everyone that safety is the number one priority. This includes keeping in mind workers don’t overheat after spending the last couple of weeks in air conditioning, relaxing, and indulging. They may not be acclimatised to working in the heat.

Manage the Risks of Working in Hot Conditions

As the weather heats up, so can risk on-site. Make sure that workers are provided with adequate protection from working in the heat so that they can do their work safely and comfortably. Here are some steps to help mitigate these risks:

- - Provide Adequate Shade and Shelter: Set up shade tents or additional undercover areas if working outdoors. Ensure that windows are open, or fans are in use in indoor workspaces.
  - Ensure Hydration and Protection from the Sun: Workers should have constant access to drinking water, sunscreen, and wear appropriate PPE like lightweight clothing, sunglasses, and sun-protective hats.
  - Monitor Heat-Related Illness: Not everyone reacts to heat the same way. Be aware of the symptoms of heat-related illness such as dizziness, nausea, pale skin, rapid breathing, heat cramps, and dehydration. If a worker shows signs of heat illness, provide first aid and seek medical attention if necessary.
Know When to Stop Work in Extreme Heat

If temperatures are dangerously high, it’s sometimes best to stop work until conditions improve. Consider shifting physical tasks to machinery for tasks such as lifting or digging, reducing the exposure to extreme heat.

Support and Look Out for One Another

Safety is a shared responsibility. Encourage your team to keep an eye on each other and to report any symptoms of heat stress. Prevention is key, but swift action can prevent more severe conditions from developing. For the early stages of heat-related illness, first aid can often be effective, but you should always seek medical assistance if in doubt, or if the person’s symptoms are severe.

Symptoms to look out for are:

- - Dizziness and feeling weak
  - Vomiting and nausea
  - Pale, cool and clammy skin
  - Rapid breathing and shortness of breath
  - Heat cramps resulting from heavy sweating without replacing salt and electrolytes
  - Dehydration from increased sweating and workers not drinking enough water

Be prepared this summer and make sure to keep the health, safety, and well-being of workers front of mind. Refer to the below resources for more information:

If you have any questions you can contact our Advisory Team on 1800 954 702.

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.